The Descendants
by optimistic.pessimists
Summary: HP & Charmed crossover. Melinda and Gwen are off on an adventure to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, to follow their destiny, protecting and helping the "Chosen One" to defeat Lord Voldemort, the most evil wizard the world has ever known.
1. Prologue

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**Patricia**

Gwen and Melinda always were a unique pair. I can remember the day they were born very clearly. Everyone had thought it was strange that the two girls had been born on the same day, especially since Gwen was actually due two weeks after Melinda. When I found out exactly _why_ they were born on the same day, the news sent shivers down my spine.

The girls were both born on October 31st; Halloween. Though Melinda was about eleven hours earlier. On the days following their births, demons were attacking so much that we had to keep them at Magic School. My brother Chris and I had been worried, even though the whole family had come to help --- and I mean the whole family: my parents, Piper and Leo; my aunts, Phoebe and Paige; all six of my cousins (we Halliwells breed like rabbits), and even my oldest brother Wyatt.

"They're the first grandchildren of the Charmed Ones," Dad had reasoned. "You shouldn't be surprised that demons are trying to attack them."

"Wyatt'll be here with news from the Elders soon, so don't worry," Aunt Paige had added. "We'll find out what's going on."

As if to prove my aunt right, Wyatt had orbed in, and I was _very_ aware of the fact that he was avoiding looking at me or Chris.

"What did you find out?" asked Henry, one of my many cousins. "What'd the Elders say?"

Wyatt sighed. "Apparently... a prophecy was found. A prophecy about... Melinda and Gwen..."

"What did it say?" Mom had asked him, growing impatient.

"It was in an ancient language, so it's really hard to translate exactly," Wyatt said, obviously trying to bide for time.

"Quit stalling and give us the gist of it then," Chris snapped.

"Melinda and Gwen are really powerful..." he started uneasily.

"So what?" That was me. "We're the most powerful family of witches out there; the whole magical world was expecting them to be powerful."

Wyatt shook his head, "You don't understand," he said, almost disbelievingly. "They're the **most** powerful witches that have ever been born. The clan of demons that have been attacking can sense power. Normally, this particular group would wait until the girls were more grown up so they could come into their powers more fully, but they've never sensed anything like this before, and they want the girls' powers before other demons start trying."

Cue the aforementioned shivers down my spine.

"Other demons?" my mom asked, worried.

"Wait," my dad had cut in, shaking his head. "Start at the beginning. What about the prophecy?" he asked in an attempt to calm everyone down.

"According to the prophecy," Wyatt started, his Whitelighter side kicking in, "Melinda and Gwen are destined to help stop the most powerful dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. There's more to their destiny than that, but the second half of the prophecy is missing," he explained.

All of this information was barely making sense to me. I had no idea what to say, so I waited for someone else to speak up.

"How do you know the prophecy's talking about them?" Chris had finally asked.

"They fill all three of the qualifications," Wyatt had answered him. He began to count the reasons on his fingers, "They were born on All Hallow's Eve, which, as you know, is the most powerfully magical day; combined, they have all the powers of the first member in our line, Melinda Warren, since Melinda has telekinesis and premonitions, and Gwen can freeze time; and the descend from a great power, the Charmed Ones. As a matter of fact, the prophecy refers to them as 'The Descendants,' so the Elders are certain it's them," he finished.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" I had wondered aloud.

"You'll have to do a spell that will bind some of their powers and stop them from growing too quickly," Wyatt answered me. "That way the demons won't be able to sense them and we can vanquish them, and when the girls are older you'll have to send them to Hogwarts."


	2. Chapter 1

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**Melinda (fourteen years later)**

I stared at my mom in disbelief. "London?! We're going to _London_?!"

"Yes," my mom replied curtly. "You'll be going to a new school that teaches magic. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

I was completely shocked. Having some semblance of a normal life is something that my family strived for, and now they're deciding to send my cousin and I to a school that teaches magic? What the hell kind of messed up logic is that?

I looked over at Gwen to see how she was taking the news.

"But we were supposed to be starting high school!" she complained in that way only she could. "It's supposed to be the best four years of our lives! We can't miss out on that!" she insisted.

I could tell she wasn't really _that_ upset about having to go to this other school. Being difficult was just in her nature. I could practically see the gears whirring in her head, thinking about the different guys she could meet with British accents. But, still, she was just surprised, like me.

"You can spend the best four years of your lives at Hogwarts," Gwen's dad, and my uncle Chris, pointed out. He glanced at my mom, "For now, we have some stuff to take care of. We'll explain everything later."

"Later?!" Gwen and I exclaimed in unison.

"Later," Uncle Wyatt stated with an air of finality.

Gwen sighed heavily and turned around, heading for my room. I followed her. Once we had closed the door, Gwen threw herself onto my bed. She giggled, "Oh, my God," she breathed, grinning. I grinned back at her.

"I know," I said, nodding. "But, do you _really_ want to go?"

She stopped grinning and sat up, a pensive look on her face. "Well, we're gonna have to leave our friends, and that sucks, but... I mean, it's _London_, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I don't really mind going, actually," I said thoughtfully. "I'm just pissed that they won't tell us everything," I added, and my cousin nodded fervently.

"I wonder why they're not sending us to Magic School. I mean, why this whatever-it's-called school---"

"Hogwarts."

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Whatever. _Hogwarts_, then. Why there?" I could only shrug. "Have you ever even heard of it?"

"I think I might have read about it somewhere," I answered her, shrugging once more.

Gwen rolled her dark blue eyes. "You're such a book worm," she told me. I glared at her.

"In this case, you should be _very happy_ that I read so much," I pointed out.

"Well, what'd you read?"

"It's supposed to be this really amazing school," I said. "Maybe even a little better than Magic School. And the Headmaster-principle-guy is some great famous wizard, Dumbledore or something. And they teach you to use magic with wands," I told her.

"Oooh, interesting," she said, mostly to herself. She looked at me then, "That should be pretty cool, I guess."

"Yeah. I guess."

We said nothing for a while, the both of us just staring at my bedroom door. We sighed simultaneously.

"I wonder what they're talking about," I said wistfully.

"Yeah," she sighed again. "Me too."

**Patricia**

After the girls left to Melinda's room, a silence had fallen over my two older brothers and I.

"I don't want to send them," Chris said suddenly. Wyatt stared at him. "It sounds too dangerous," he explained.

"I know exactly what you mean," I said, nodding solemnly.

"You guys don't have much of a choice," Wyatt said sternly. Sometimes, being the oldest sibling of three _really_ shows in him. "They'll be in danger whether they're here or there. It just makes more sense to send them _there_, especially since they have a job to do."

I glared at him for a moment, about to say he didn't understand, before letting my expression soften. Of course Wyatt couldn't understand. He never had kids. And anyway, what he was saying made perfect sense, logically. But Chris and I weren't thinking logically.

Especially since Chris was so overprotective of Gwen. Ever since her mother, Emily Daniels, left when Gwen wasn't even a year old, for no apparent reason. It made sense that he wouldn't want to send her away for such a long time.

"We're going to have to unbind their powers," I said before Chris could say anything that would start a fight.

Chris sighed heavily, but Wyatt looked at me with approval.

I flipped through the pages of the Book of Shadows, looking for a very _specific_ spell. "To Unbind Powers," I read the title aloud.

"When we unbind their powers, they won't be safe from demons anymore," Wyatt said. "Their powers will start growing exponentially. We're gonna have to let them get used to having all that power for a few days, and then we'll have to explain everything to them and send them to Hogwarts. Are you two ready?" he asked, looking from my face to Chris'.

The two of us sighed and nodded, and the three of us read the spell together.

**Gwen**

Melinda and I were flipping through the channels on TV. Well, actually... I was flipping through the channels, and she was angry that I couldn't settle on one show, even though I'd been looking for fifteen minutes.

She gave up on being patient, held out her hand, and said, "Give me the remote, Thorn."

I shook my head -I loved annoying her- but before I could say anything, the remote flew out of my hand.

Damn telekinesis.

"I love my powers," Melinda said, smiling as she twirled the remote in her hand.

I rolled my eyes and scoffed, "Please. Mine are _sooo_ much better."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, sitting up straighter and turning off the TV. "No they're not."

I grinned. I really _do_ love annoying her. "Yes they are. Premonition sucks; all you do is see pictures. Telekinesis is cool, I guess, and you only have levitation because you use telekinesis to lift yourself in the air. Plus, it only helps if you're good at martial arts, so I guess it's a good thing you've got a black belt in karate. Speaking of martial arts, you _have_ to teach me some of those cool tricks..." And just as I was about to ask her how she did that kick with the backwards flip-thing, she interrupted,

"Weren't you talking about our powers?"

I nodded unnecessarily, "Right. Well, you can only levitate, like, ten feet in the air anyways. Now, **me**, on the other hand... I can freeze time, and who wouldn't want to stop time? And, best of all, I can orb to anywhere in the world I want to."

"You know, you never insult my premonitions when they're saving _your life_," Melinda pointed out. I waved away her comment with my hand as she continued. "And, I like being able to see into the future, anyway. For example, I already know what I got on all my finals," she added smugly. "I know what you got on your's, too. Want to know?"

"Ehhh... I don't really need magic to know that I failed," I joked. We both knew this wasn't true. I may not be as good as Melinda when it comes to my studies, but I'm not bad, either. And, Melinda's got _nothing_ on me when it comes to Charms.

She laughed and said, "Crazy."

"I know I am," I responded.

She looked at me strangely, "You know you are what?"

"Crazy," I answered her. She leaned back a bit, a look of total confusion on her face. I elaborated, "You said I was crazy, and I said 'I know I am'. You are, too, you know. Even though you won't admit it. Only a crazy person would put up with me for almost fifteen years," I added, trying to bring my Melly back by lightening the mood.

She looked frustrated now. "Thorn, I never said 'crazy' out loud. I thought it."

No way, I thought, you have to be kidding.

"Why would I be kidding?" she asked me, furrowing her brow.


	3. Chapter 2

_Hello everyone. It's been an insanely long time since I posted the last chapter, but I HAVE been busy, I have tons of excuses that I'm sure no one wants to read about, so I'll spare you all. Okay, I haven't explained this yet so here we go. This story is co-written by myself and my friend. I have an account on here for myself and my username is MissIndecisive (by the way, you should all definitely go read my story on there), moving along, my friend (known on other sites as XxSilverxXxRosexX) refuses to post on here because for whatever reason she finds it too difficult. But I'm sure none of you really care about all this background info so I encourage you to move along to the story. Reviews, both good AND bad, are absolutely wonderful, but the important thing is that you enjoy the story._

_Oh! Just a heads up, Melinda's thoughts are in italics and Gwen's thoughts are italicized and underlined._

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**Melinda**

It's been days since my mom and uncles had told Gwen and I about going to Hogwarts. We told them about our strange new telepathic power that lets us hear only each others' thoughts, but they dismissed it as if it was expected.

They hadn't seemed worried that our eyes and hair hadn't gone back to normal yet, either. It wasn't uncommon for Gwen to lose control and have her eyes gold for a few hours, but I'd always been able to control it. I could even turn it on and off, usually, an art that Gwen had yet to perfect. So, of course, it was even more confusing to me that I was still stuck with silver eyes and silver streaks in my hair.

I was in my room, laying down on my bed and thinking, when a demon shimmered into my room. It wasn't surprising, really. Demons had been attacking a lot recently. I stood up, poised to fight, when he smirked and disappeared.

"What the..." I looked around the room and suddenly felt arms circle around my waist. I elbowed him in the stomach, turned around to punch him, and grabbed his athame to stab him. Now the only thing left of him were scorch marks on the floor.

I dropped the athame to the floor and fell back down on my bed, sighing. Gwen and I probably wouldn't find out what was going on until the day we left for Hogwarts.

I hadn't realized that I'd fallen asleep until someone jumped on me. I didn't need to open my eyes to see who it was, but I did anyway, scowling, "Why'd you jump on me, Thorn?"

"Because it's two in the afternoon and I've been at your house for three hours, bored out of my mind, and since you didn't seem like you were gonna wake up on your own anytime soon, I decided to wake you up myself," she responded in one breath. "And," she continued after a dramatic intake of breath, "I think they're gonna tell us why we're going to Hogwarts soon-ish, so hurry up and change out of your pajamas."

At this news, I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror I was confused: what happened to my hair? After a moment I realized that the silver had gone, and that my eyes were back to normal. I hadn't seen any gold on Gwen, either. That must mean we're getting better with controlling our weird telepathy thing.

I changed my eyes from dark blue to silver and back again, just to make sure I could control it again. When I was satisfied, I rushed into the shower, changed, and brushed my hair and teeth (two different brushes, don't worry) so that I could finally hear what was going on.

**Chris**

"I don't know how we're going to explain this to them," I said to Wyatt and Patty. "'Hey, kids, just letting you know, you're going to have to stop some great force of evil on the other side of the world.' _That's_ going to go over well," I scoffed.

"They should be fine; it's their destiny," Patty reasoned. "Besides, being destined to stop great forces of evil runs in the family," she added, smiling slightly.

I glared at her. "Well, it's easy for _you_ to be calm. _Your_ daughter actually _thinks_ before she acts..."

"We can't keep putting off telling them," Wyatt cut in. "They have to know now, whether you think they're ready or not. And... if it helps, _I_ think they're ready."

I considered this; Wyatt was usually a pretty good judge when it came to these things. They might be ready. I sighed, "I guess there's only one way to find out."

Patty smiled at me and called for the girls. "Gwen? Melinda, sweetie? Could you come down here for a moment?"

**Melinda**

When Gwen and I heard our names we ran from my room and into the kitchen where my mom, Uncle Chris, and Uncle Wyatt were waiting. They all had solemn expressions on their faces as Uncle Wyatt started talking.

"We know you girls have been wondering why we're sending you to Hogwarts," he said. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, "So... Take it away, Patty," he said, nudging my mom. She glared at him but began speaking anyway,

"We never told you girls your destiny," she began, picking up where Uncle Wyatt had left off. "According to a prophecy that was found a few days after you were born, you're both destined to help finish off the evil wizard, Lord Voldemort."

_Didn't he die or something after whatever it was that happened with Harry Potter?_ Gwen's voice asked in my head. We were getting a lot better at controlling our new power.

_No,_ I replied. _He was just weakened._

"This means you'll have to protect Harry Potter," Mom want on, "because the Elders think Voldemort might join forces with the demons. It is believe that Harry Potter is meant to kill Voldemort, and it's your destiny to help him." She looked at Gwen, "He's your innocent."

Gwen looked confused and maybe even a little frightened. "How do you know that prophecy's about us?" she asked. "How do you know it's _our_ destiny?"

Mom and Uncle Wyatt both looked at Uncle Chris, who grimaced. "My turn?" He sighed, "The prophecy gives a description of the Descendants, and you two fit the profile perfectly," he said.

"The Descendants?" I quoted, confused.

"It's what you two are known as," Uncle Wyatt explained.

"We're _known_?" Gwen asked.

"Of course you are," my mom said, as if it were obvious. "The whole magical world knows about you and how powerful you are. That's why you can't tell anyone at Hogwarts who you are. You'll be using the last name 'Perry', and only the professors will know who you really are."

"And the mind-reading thing?" Gwen asked.

"Another Descendants perk," Uncle Chris answered her. "It'll help you guys when you have wiccan duties that separate you. There's no geographical limit when you learn to control it completely, so you'll be able to hear each others' thoughts and talk to each other no matter when you are in the world."

"Perfect," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Just what I've always wanted; for Gwen to be in my head twenty-four-seven."

Gwen laughed. _You know you love me._

_Oh yes,_ I thought back flatly. _Too much for words._

**Gwen**

I was so excited. Finally --freaking _finally_-- I was getting answers.

"And, the whole color-changing thing?" I added. "What about that?"

I had expected Uncle Wyatt to answer, but it was my dad, instead. "You're both so powerful that your magic stains your bodies," he said.

Um. Ew?

"It's not as gross as it sounds," Dad added quickly, like he knew what I was thinking. "When your powers grow or when you use powerful magic, it's so powerful that you can literally see it. That's why your eyes and hair change color. And since your powers are tied to your emotions, intense emotions can cause the change as well. And, because you're more powerful in these magical forms, you can use them to your advantage. But," he continued, and he looked at me sternly, "you **cannot** by **any** means let anyone other than the staff at Hogwarts see these forms. If anyone else does, they'll realize who you are. And that would be _**big**_ trouble. Do you understand me?" He wasn't looking at Melinda.

"Why are you looking at me?" I asked, my voice rising in pitch defensively. It made Melinda laugh. I rolled my eyes, "Why do we have to keep our identities secret, anyway?"

"Because," Aunt Patty rolled her eyes, mimicking me jokingly, "you're famous. And, if people find out where you are, it won't be long before the demons show up, and then everyone'll be in even more danger."

"And..." Uncle Wyatt started uneasily.

"There's more?" Melinda asked.

"Well... There's _supposed_ to be more to your destinies, but..."

"But...?" I prompted.

"But... half of the prophecy is missing."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course it is."

"And the Elder's have said that it's up to you guys to find out the rest of it," he finished as if he hadn't heard me.

Melinda and I glanced at each other. _No pressure,_ I thought to her. I could swear she smiled.

"So," Dad started, drawing our attention back to him. "Gwen can stay the night. You'll both spend tomorrow packing, and you'll leave for England in two days. Dinner will start at seven," he added, and the three of them left. I looked at Melinda.

_Wow. Weird, huh?_

_Yeah. Can you believe they kept that from us all this time?_

_Well, I suppose it _is_ a little much to deal with. What do you think?_

Melinda furrowed her brow. "Why are we talking through our thoughts?" she asked, seeming completely perplexed. "We can just have a normal conversation you know."

I shrugged, "I know. That way is just more fun," I grinned.

She rolled her eyes and walked up the stairs, "Come on," she said reluctantly, as if she wasn't sure she wanted me to stay so close to her, for fear that the 'crazy' might be contagious. We stepped into her room and I closed the door as she sat down on her bed, hugging a pillow close to her chest.

"So," I said, sitting next to her and playing with her stupid frog blanket, "continuing or earlier conversation, what's up with the secret identities we're going to have? It's like some weird Clark Kent-Superman rip-off," I added.

"Well, I guess I can sort of understand where they're coming from with that," she said. "I mean, it would _kind of_ suck if everyone in the school died because we couldn't control our appearances."

"_Kind of_," I agreed, smirking. We burst out laughing.


	4. Chapter 3

_Hello, here's a nice 3,000+ word chapter for you all to enjoy. Feedback would be wonderful and appreciated. I don't think I have much else to say so happy reading! :)_

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**Melinda**

I was going crazy, running around my room to make sure I hadn't forgot to pack anything. Gwen and I would be leaving for England in an hour, and Mom had warned us to pack everything we'd need, because we wouldn't be coming back if we forgot anything.

The plan was that Mom would stay with Gwen and me to get our school supplies, and Uncle Wyatt and Uncle Chris would say goodbye after staying with us for one night. They couldn't stay any longer because Gwen and I had to be inconspicuous, and that wouldn't really work well if we had all of Piper Halliwell's kids and grand kids together.

Last night, the family had gotten together for dinner at my grandparents' house as sort of a farewell gesture to me and Gwen. All the hugs and goodbyes were a little embarrassing, but it was sweet of them to do that. Even my dad had flown in. He's not usually around too much because he's a pilot.

After dinner, courtesy of my grandma Piper, I noticed how no one talked about how Gwen and I were in danger. They all acted as if the two of us were just going on vacation. Gwen and I decided not to say anything about it, either.

Twenty minutes into my frantic search for things that could be missing, Gwen burst through my bedroom door.

"Oh my God, Melly, have you seen Peggy?!"

I laughed at her frazzled expression; her eyes were searching all over my room and her red hair was wavy, showing that she was too worried to straighten it this morning.

"Don't worry," I said, my laughter dying down. "You left Peggy here last night. I'm surprised you didn't notice," I commented, doubling over to retrieve the small, Pegasus stuffed animal that was under my bed. "You can't even sleep without this thing."

"Peggy is not a _thing_," she said, glaring at me as she took the horse. "Besides, she's better than your stupid blanket."

I gasped, "You take that back!" I ordered playfully, grabbing my small blanket from my bed. I loved it; it was a soft pink color, with cute frogs all over it, and it was the warmest, most comfortable blanket I'd ever had. _Way_ better than 'Peggy'.

"I will do no such thing," Gwen responded, turning on her heal with mock arrogance. She held her head high, and said, "Hmpf."

Then she tripped over the threshold.

"Dammit! I bit my tongue!"

We orbed from San Francisco to London in a matter of seconds, making me feel incredibly grateful that my family was magical and that I'd been spared more than ten hours on a plane.

Gwen looked around in confusion, "Why is it so dark?" she asked. "It's only, like, three PM."

I sighed, "We're in a different time zone, Thorn. It's eight hours ahead here."

"So that means it's eleven?"

"Yup."

"_Ohhhh_."

My mom came up to us and said, "You two should get some rest; tomorrow we'll be shopping all day. Get something to eat," she continued before we could argue about not being tired. "You'll need to be well rested and well fed for tomorrow, so don't stay up too late talking." She gave us keys for our rooms and turned to leave.

"Wait, Mom, where exactly are we staying?" I asked.

"The Leaky Cauldron; It's exclusively for witches and wizards," she answered, and then went to her room before I could ask more questions. Sometimes, I think she thought it was fun to leave me in a cloud of confusion.

Gwen and I listened, though, and after dinner, we were fast asleep.

**Gwen**

Melinda and I woke up early that morning to say goodbye to Dan and Uncle Wyatt.

Uncle Wyatt hugged both me and Melinda and the same time. "Here you girls go," he said, handing us little pouches. It jingled in my hand. "Use that to buy owls, so we can write to each other."

This, of course, made him my favorite person in the whole world.

"An owl?" I asked, shocked. I smirked, "Cool."

Melly rolled her eyes at me.

I turned to my dad, "Bye, Daddy," I said, giving him a big hug. "I'll write all the time," I promised into his ear. "So much, you'll get sick of me. It'll be just like having me home."

"I'll miss you," he said, giving me one last squeeze and kissing my temple. He pulled away, but held onto my shoulders, "Be safe," he said sternly. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Oh, Dad, you're always so subtle," I joked, and he smiled.

"I love you," he said softly, and in a flash, he was hugging me again, practically crushing me.

"I love you, too, Dad," I said, my voice straining. "Um, Dad? You're kind of squeezing my insides out. And I like my insides _in_, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, right, sorry," he said, letting me go. I rubbed my shoulder, smiling at him.

"I love you, Gwen," he repeated, and I rolled my eyes.

"Ditto on the mushy stuff. But, seriously, don't hug me like that again. Ever."

He laughed, and ruffled my hair, "Deal."

"I'll see you in ten months, kid," Uncle Wyatt called, and I could tell he was about to orb away.

"You, too, old man," I called back, and in a flash of blue orbs, he was gone. Dad soon followed behind him.

Melinda sighed, "I'll miss them."

I nodded, "Me, too. So... where do we shop for magical school supplies?" I asked Aunt Patty, and she laughed,

"Boy, you sure bounce back fast. We're going to Diagon Alley," she said, and she started walking out passed the Leaky Cauldron. She took out a wand that she'd probably bought yesterday and tapped on a few stones. Melinda and I watched in amazement as the stones moved to reveal when I could definitely guess was Diagon Alley.

**Melinda**

Gwen gasped. "_Cooool_," she breathed, stepping through the entrance. Mom and I followed her.

Our first stop in Diagon Alley was Gringotts, the wizarding bank. When we stepped through the first set of doors, Gwen let out a quiet gasp; Mom had failed to mention that it was run by goblins.

I smirked. "Scared?"

"Shut up," she scowled, not looking at the goblin as it glared at her. "I'm not scared. It just looks so... _creepy_," she shuddered.

After we exchanged our dollar bills for Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts (and I still firmly believe that giant gold, silver, and bronze coins just aren't practical), we went to Flourish and Blotts to buy our school books. I stared at all the books in amazement, but, Thorn dragged me away before I could get too carried away.

After the books, we got our potion supplies (Gwen and I couldn't wait to start mixing up some potions), then our quills, ink, and parchment.

"I don't see why we can't just use paper and pens," Gwen said, staring down at the feathered quill in her hands.

"They probably make us use quills just to annoy you," I told her, smiling sweetly.

Gwen nodded, "Probably."

"Girls, come on," Mom said, walking toward a store called Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Gwen and I groaned simultaneously.

"Stop _pouting_," Mom ordered, though she was smiling at us. Gwen and I exchanged a look and followed her into the store.

After half an hour of being poked and prodded with levitating tape measurers, we had our new uniforms.

"Ew," Gwen said, handing the bags to my mother. "Get this as far away from me as possible, please."

"Yeah," I agreed, handing Mom the rest of my stuff as well. "I don't wanna to see that thing until I have to."

Mom rolled her eyes, "Fine. I'll take all this stuff back to your rooms. Can I trust you two to behave yourselves while you get the rest of your things?" She was talking to both of us, but staring at Gwen, who rolled her eyes, and said,

"Yes," in the flattest, most monotone voice I had ever heard her use.

"And you'll spend your money wisely?"

More eye-rolling. "Yes."

"And you'll--"

"_Yes_, for crying out loud!"

I giggled at my cousin, and my mom left us to ourselves, finally.

"Finally," Gwen breathed, sharing my thoughts. She turned to me, "What's next?"

I shrugged, "All we need now are our wands and owls--"

Gwen grabbed my hand and pulled me in a random direction, cutting me off. "Cool, let's go!"

The first shop we found was the one we had been anticipating all day, Ollivanders, the wand shop. I felt my excitement building up as Gwen and I walked through the door.

We looked around curiously at all the box-covered shelves. Everything was covered with dust, the store silent, giving the impression that no one had been in it in years.

"Ah," an eerie voice said from a dark corner. A man stepped out from the shadows, "The Descendants."

Gwen and I stared at him stupidly -how could he know who we were?- but then he chuckled.

"Don't be alarmed," he told us after seeing the looks on our faces. "Your parents explained everything to me yesterday. I still remember the wands that chose your parents. Patricia's was maple, fourteen inches long, with the hair of a dryad for her core. Chris had ebony, nine-and-a-half inches, with the hair from a centaur's tail," Ollivander told us. Gwen stared at him strangely.

_This guy's creepy,_ Gwen told me. I nodded at her subtly.

"So, who wants to go first?" Ollivander asked us.

_Ooh! Melly, can I first? Pretty, pretty please, with frosting on top and those really cool bat-shaped sprinkles you like so much?_

I rolled my eyes. _Only if you promise never to call me "Melly" ever again._

_Yay! Okay, thanks, Melly._

I sighed, and she turned to tell Ollivander excitedly that she would be going first. Meanwhile, I saw a scale on a table. I had no idea what kind of animal it came from, so I picked it up to look at it more closely. I froze, and the future flashed before my eyes.

My premonition only lasted a few seconds, and all I saw was a dragon flying around, while a crowd watched, in awe, as if they were all at an amazing show.

When I came back to the present, Gwen and Ollivander were staring at me.

"What did you see?" Gwen asked in a whisper. I shook my head, letting her know that I'd tell her later. I looked at the scale in my hand and asked Ollivander what it was.

"It's a dragon scale," he answered proudly. "From a Hungarian Horntail. I was going to use it as the core for one of my wands."

"Oh," was all I could think to say. Gwen glanced at me, shook her head, and put on a smile.

"Let's start," she said.

**Gwen**

Melinda still looked confused when Ollivander left to go find some wands for me. I didn't have time to ask her what she had seen, though, because Ollivander came back, arms full of dusty boxes.

"Which is your wand arm?" he asked.

I stared at Melinda -my wand arm?- but she shrugged.

"Umm, my right?"

"Here," Ollivander said, shoving one of the wands in my right hand. "Almond, thirteen inches, hippogriff feather core. Just give it a wave."

I did. I heard a strange wheezing sound coming from the wand, and suddenly, about fifty of the wand boxes flew from the shelves. Melinda ducked just in time before one poked her eye out. I grimaced and put the wand down.

"Don't worry," Ollivander said, "There's a wand for everyone."

He pulled a wand out of the pile at random, and handed it to me. "Oak, fourteen inches, rigid and sturdy, dragon eyelash core."

I pointed it at the curtain, which was immediately set on fire.

Ollivander smiled and put out the fire with his own wand, thankfully ignoring my blush. "Sorry," I murmured pathetically.

Ollivander, however, didn't seem the least bit concerned by my inability to find the right wand. He just took another one out of the pile, and handed it to me. "Ivy, twelve inches, pliable and swishy, suitable for Charm work."

When I took this wand, I got a strange feeling of comfort. There was a warmth spreading from the tips of my fingers, and I twirled the wand in the air, watching as it left a golden trail in the air. This was definitely it.

_Your eyes are turning gold, Gwen,_ Melinda warned me. With some effort, I managed to change them back to blue. Most of the time when my eyes changed color, it was an involuntary reaction. Melinda could tell when hers had changed, but I could never realize it before she told me. I turned back to listen as Ollivander began to tell me more about my wand.

"Ivy is the least known wood for wandmaking, with the most remarkable qualities and mysterious powers. It's mysteriousness brings about uncertain powers in its magical qualities but it is known to be unusually powerful in conjuring."

This guy is like a walking wand dictionary.

He turned to Melinda, "Are you ready to find your wand?"

**Melinda**

The first wand Ollivander gave me was made of Beech wood, eleven and a third inches long, with a dragon heartstring core. I felt like an idiot, waving it around and waiting for something to happen.

Suddenly, there was sound like a gunshot, and there was a hole in the wall in front of me. While Gwen laughed hysterically, I blushed, and wondered if everyone who came in here to buy a wand damaged the store.

The next wand was Mahogany, thirteen inches, pliable, with a unicorn hair core. That one emitted a strange black smoke, and flew right out of my hand.

"Definitely not," Ollivander said. "Try this one. Holly, eleven inches, smooth and balanced, suitable for original work."

When I took that one, all the worry and stress I had felt from my premonition disappeared. I waved it around and smiled at the silvery glow it made. I wrote my name in the air with the silver light, and felt my eyes turning silver. I changed them back quickly, and turned to Ollivander, "This is it."

"Holly posses protection qualities, which far surpass any other wand, and is on record for its overall strength. Holly is the chosen wood for performing in and guiding dream magic."

Gwen and I paid for our wands and left the store, pleased with our purchases. We started walking toward the owl shop, which we had seen on our way in Diagon Alley, and Gwen asked me the question I knew she'd been dying to ask me for almost an hour,

"So, what'd you see?"

**Gwen**

I stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to answer my question.

"I saw a dragon," she answered, sounding confused. "It was protecting some eggs, and there were a couple hundred people watching, like it was a show. I don't know what we're supposed to do," she admitted warily.

"I guess we'll just have to worry about when we get to Hogwarts," I said, shrugging.

"But it's a school," she said. "There aren't supposed to be any dragons there. And if there are, it's no wonder Harry needs protecting," she added.

"It's not like we know what we're supposed to do," I continued. "So, we'll just have to wait to worry about this until we know what we're talking about.

She sighed and agreed grudgingly. She started to say something else, but we had finally arrived at the owl shop, Eeylops Owl Emporium. I looked around in amazement, something I seemed to be doing a lot of today.

There were owls of every size and color. Melinda seemed to have forgotten about our little dragon problem and was looking around excitedly.

"I can't believe we get to have our own owls!" she practically screamed.

I stared at her. "You actually want one?"

"Of course!" she squealed in my ear. I cringed away, and she smirked. "That answer your question?"

"Yeah, and shattered my eardrum."

"You ladies need help?" a tall man with glasses asked, walking up to us.

"Yes, we're looking for two owls, Sir," Melinda said.

I rolled my eyes, and murmured, "Obviously, since we're in an owl shop." Melinda nudged me.

The man didn't notice, "Well, come with me," he said, walking along the walls of the shop, where the owls were squawking in their cages. "We have a fine selection of owls to choose from. I'm Zachary Montgomery, by the way, manager of this shop."

I looked at the owls along the wall; none of them interested me. I wanted one to stand out, one was cut different from the rest. Melinda, however, didn't agree with me.

"Ooh, this one's pretty," she said, stepping up to a beautiful owl. It was bronze with light, hazel eyes, the tips of its feathers black.

"Oh, yes, he is a beautiful one," Zachary said. "And well trained."

Melinda smiled, "Perfect, I'll take him."

"Well, what are you gonna name him?" I asked her as Zachary got her owl off the shelf.

She though for a moment. "Godric," she said finally. I rose a brow,

"Godric?" I asked, and she nodded. "What kind of name is that?"

"I read it in one of the books at Flourish and Blotts."

I stomped my foot, "I thought I got you away from those before you had time to read them!"

She smiled mysteriously, and I felt my eyes narrow.

"You used your powers, didn't you?" I asked her quietly once Zachary was out of ear shot. She didn't say anything, and I smirked. "You did! You used your telekinesis to take the book while I wasn't looking! Ooh, Melly, you _stole_!"

"Quiet down!" Melinda said, looking around the shop to make sure no one had heard me. "Besides, I put it right back."

I shook my head in mock disappointment, "Man, Melly, I always though _I_ was the reckless one."

"Don't you need an owl, too?" Zachary asked came back before Melinda could say anything more. I smiled and nodded.

We walked along all the walls, and I didn't see a single owl until we reached the very back of the store.

I gasped, "She's so pretty," I let out a dreamy sigh, walking toward the owl. Her feathers were midnight black, and she had these bright purple eyes that were practically staring into my _soul_.

_Staring into your soul?_ Melinda smirked. _Don't be so dramatic._

"Er, I don't really think you want that one," Zachary said nervously, following me. I stared at him,

"Why not?" I asked, still moving toward the owl.

"Well, she's--" he was cut off by the owl screeching loudly, and he backed away. "She's not properly trained, a bit aggressive. No one seems to want this one."

I ignored him and walked closer to the owl. She didn't make a sound as I put my fingers to the cage.

"Be careful, Gwen," Melinda warned me, and I could hear the worry in her voice. I rolled my eyes to myself, and slipped my fingers through the bars. The owl stared at me, and I smiled.

"I'm gonna name you Tabitha," I said quietly, and the owl nipped at my fingers with her beak. "And I'll call you Tabby."

"She doesn't seem so dangerous," Melinda said, moving closer to the owl, the caged Godric still in her hands. As soon as Tabby saw him, she squawked, scaring Melinda.

I smirked, "I want that one."

Melinda cradled her new owl, and I could see the "No" ready on her lips.

"Please, Melly?" I pleaded. She shook her head,

"No, Thorn. No way."

"But..." I felt my lower lip tremble. "But, I want that one," I whined softly.

"**No**."

And that's when I did it: my super-mega-puppy-dog pout. She could never resist.

She groaned, "Gwen--"

"_Please_, Melly? I really, really, really, really, **really** want that one," I added, still pouting. She looked at me, and sighed.

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes. "You always have to be so difficult."

I smiled at her as Zachary tried to get Tabby down without her biting him, "I know."


	5. Chapter 4

_Hello, not much to say right now, I'm just extremely bored out of my mind. I hope you all like this. Read, review, and enjoy!_

* * *

**Melinda**

"Students at Hogwarts are sorted into one of four different houses in their first year," Mom explained to Gwen and I as we waited in a strange room at the Leaky Cauldron. "The ceremony usually takes place as soon as everyone arrives on September first, but since you two will be starting with your fourth year and we're trying to keep you both as inconspicuous as possible, you'll be sorted here, before you go."

"How do we get sorted?" I asked, and my mom smiled suspiciously.

"You'll see," she answered. "But, don't worry, there isn't a test or anything. Getting sorted essentially takes absolutely no effort at all."

"Can't you just give us a little hint?" Gwen practically begged.

"No," Mom shook her head. "You'll see as soon as the headmaster gets here."

We waited for a few minutes until someone walked in. I was expecting it to be some old guy with gray hair and a ruler to slap us with, but instead, I saw a very stern looking woman holding a very old, very shabby hat. She introduced herself as "Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress."

"Professor Dumbledore is very sorry that he couldn't make it, he got held up at the last minute," McGonagall explained to my mom. She was whispering, so that Gwen and I couldn't hear her well, but we _did_ manage to hear something about a tournament and something else about the Quidditch World Cup, but I had no idea what Quidditch was so I couldn't figure it out.

"Let's begin," McGonagall said. She lifted the hat, "You will each put this hat on and it will determine which house you belong in. There are four houses: Gryffindor, for the brave; Ravenclaw, for the intelligent; Hufflepuff, for the kind-hearted; and Slytherin, for the sly and cunning."

**Gwen**

So, apparently, the wizarding world is big on letting inanimate objects dictate their lives. First, 'the wand chooses the wizard,' and now, I have to let some stupid hat tell me where I belong! Will the plates start telling me what to eat?

"Traditionally," McGonagall continued, "this goes in alphabetical order, so, Gwendolyn Madison Halliwell, you're up first."

I cringed at the use of my full name while Melinda smirked, and I walked up, sitting down in the chair that appeared, quite literally, out of thin air. I felt McGonagall place the hat on my head, and I almost laughed when my face got swallowed up in the fabric, as it was so huge.

"Ah," a voice said in my ear. "I've been waiting for the day that I'd see you again."

_Again?_ I thought. _What does that mean?_

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Miss Dawson?" it asked me.

_Dawson? What are you talking about? My name is Gwen. Gwen Halliwell._

"What an interesting time you've come, too," the hat mused. "The boy is here, you know."

_The boy?_

"Oh, listen to me. Busy musing over past lives! That's not what's important. Now, let's see... You're brave, definitely. Loyal. Determined, too. And you've got that _dark_ streak about you. Very cunning. Manipulative..."

_Manipulative? What the hell?_

"Oh, yes, absolutely. You haven't noticed? You're also incredibly sarcastic..."

I smirked. _Well, yeah. Can't really argue with you on that one._

"It's really between Gryffindor and Slytherin for you. So, what do you say? It could go either way."

_Well, which do you think would be best for me?_

The hat seemed to think for a moment -- if hats can think, anyway.

"Oh, this _is_ a hard one... Hmm... Let's say... GRYFFINDOR!"

Is it just me, or did McGonagall just smile?

**Melinda**

"Melinda Rose Halliwell, you're next," McGonagall told me.

I could hear my heart pounding, I had no idea why I was so nervous, but it was taking me a conscious effort to stop shaking. I tried chastising myself by telling myself that all I had to do was put a hat on my head, but it didn't work too well.

"Hmm," a strange voice said, and I jumped a little. Did the _hat_ just talk? "This one is difficult as well. Smart, very smart, you'd do well in Ravenclaw."

_Gwen's in Gryffindor..._

"But you're also brave. Maybe Gryffindor is the place for you? Which do you like best?"

_Isn't it __**your**__ job to find my place at Hogwarts?_ I thought to it stubbornly, wondering why the hat was asking me for _my_ opinion in the first place.

"Yes," the hat chuckled, "That _is_ my job, so, let's see... Bright and brave, determined and loyal. Where to put you?"

_Just put me where you think I'd do best._

"I can see how much you want to be with your family, your cousin. Ah, how I foresaw this moment, years ago. The Descendants! How _exciting_..."

There was something about the way it said "exciting" that made me shiver involuntarily.

"So, let's see... Gryffindor? Ravenclaw? Oh, you'd be perfect for both! Wait, what's this? You've got quite an interesting bloodline..."

_I know, I'm a descendant of the Charmed Ones, blah blah blah._ I rolled my eyes. _That's where the whole "Descendants" thing comes from, you know._

"Oh, you're more than that, Melinda Halliwell. Much, _much_ more... I can see your place is in... GRYFFINDOR!"

Well, _that_ was a bit anti-climactic.

"Very good," McGonagall said, pulling the hat off my head. Once the hat was gone, I breathed a sigh of relief, happy with the house I was in, and with the fact that Gwen and I wouldn't be separated. "Very good," McGonagall repeated. "You're both in Gryffindor. I am the Head of Gryffindor House, which means that if you have any problems you should contact either me or Headmaster Dumbledore, whom you will meet tomorrow, after the feast."

She used her wand to make two sheets of parchment appear out of thin air, and handed them to Gwen and I. There was a list of five classes on it.

"I will give you ten minutes to pick two elective classes, and you will receive your schedules the morning you start classes," she said.

"Well, what are our normal classes?" I asked.

"You will have History of Magic, Astronomy, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Herbology," McGonagall answered. I nodded, looking down at the parchment in my hand.

_1) Arithmancy  
2) Care of Magical Creatures  
3) Divination  
4) Ancient Runes  
5) Muggle Studies_

"Arithmancy?" Gwen said questioningly. "What's that?"

"It's kind of like math," I answered her. Her nose scrunched up.

"Ew." She paused, looking back down at the classes. "And, I'm guessing Care of Magical Creatures is exactly like it sounds?"

"I would think so."

"I wanna take that," she said, smiling. "And... Ancient Runes. That sounds cool."

"Yeah, I think I might take Ancient Runes, too. And Divination. And I want Arithmancy as well." I looked at McGonagall, "Can I take three extra classes?"

McGonagall looked a little stunned, and so did Gwen. "You want _more_ work?" my cousin asked me, sounding shocked. She shook her head. "You're insane."

"It rubs off," I answered slyly, and looked back at McGonagall. "So, can I?"

"Well," she began, "I suppose you _could_. I had a student last year who wanted to do the same thing, but, she decided not to in the end. It's difficult work. Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

I looked back down at the classes. "Positive."

McGonagall smiled, "All right, then. I'll see what I can do. I'll see you girls tomorrow," she said, nodding at both of us. She turned to leave, "Have a good day," she said to my mom.

"You, too."

**Gwen**

Melinda and I waved to Aunt Patty. She'd just dropped us off at the train station and left after convincing us that to get to Platform 9 and 3/4, we had to run through the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10.

Pssh. Yeah, right.

Melinda turned to me, "How ya feelin'?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Happy. Nervous. Excited. Depressed. Maybe even a little nauseous." She laughed.

"At least we won't have to hide who we are from the teachers," she pointed out. "Just the students."

"Just the students," I repeated. "Just the people we have to spend the next four years with."

"C'mon," Melinda said, placing an arm around my shoulders. "_You're_ supposed to be the seemingly happy-go-lucky one! You're screwing up the balance, Thorn."

"Sorry, Melly. I didn't mean to." I turned the aforementioned _Wall_, "We should probably go through, now."

Melinda nodded. "Probably." She paused. "Plan on actually _moving_ any time soon?"

"Not really."

"Me neither."

We sighed simultaneously.

"You know what? Let's just go," Melinda said after a few seconds. "We need to do it sooner or later, anyway." And with that, she pushed her cart --and _herself_-- through The Wall. She disappeared.

I stared at the spot where she once was. "Creepy," I muttered, shaking my head and rushing towards The Wall with my cart.

"Took you long enough."

I opened my eyes, surprised to see Melinda staring at me. She grinned.

"Well, don't look so shocked," she said. "Let's go, Gwendolyn Perry."

Ew. Because the name 'Halliwell' is so easily recognized, we were being forced to use the last name 'Perry', instead. We also had to tell everyone that we were second cousins -- not first. Before we left, my dad had orbed back to tell us not to use our powers in front of anyone. He also made sure to tell me that, while Harry was my _number one priority_, my grades were still important, and if they slipped, he would unleash his "unspeakable wrath" upon me, blahbie blahbie blah. I pretty much stopped paying attention at that point.

I grabbed Melinda's hand, "Let's go find a compartment, Melly." She rolled her eyes at the name but allowed me to pull her toward the scarlett train; _The Hogwarts Express_.

"Holy crap, how big is this thing?"

"Stop being so dramatic. It's the size of a normal train."

"_Times ten_."

"Shut up."

This, of course, was pretty much our whole conversation while we looked to find somewhere to sit. Can you guess which one's me?

"Aha!" I said, sliding the door open. I turned back to Melinda, "Found one!"

"Praise Jesus," she exclaimed dramatically, her voice laced with light sarcasm. She followed me into the compartment. "I swear, I would've collapsed if we had to search another five minutes with these stupid trunks."

"Speaking of Jesus, where are we supposed to put our trunks anyway?"

Melinda looked up, not fazed by my strange comment in the least bit, as it was pretty much expected of me by now. "On those racks, I suppose."

I followed her gaze, my eyes narrowing a bit. "I have to lift my thirty-ton trunk onto that little shelf-thing?"

"Seems that way."

"Couldn't you just do it in that special way you do?"

She gave me a hard stare. "I'm not allowed to do that here, _remember_?"

I looked at her imploringly. "How many 'pretty's do I have to put in front of 'please' before you do it for me?"

"We'll see."

"Pretty?"

Nothing.

"Pretty?"

She blinked.

"Pretty?"

She cocked her head. _Yes_. Making serious progress, here.

"Pretty?"

She rose a brow.

"Come on, Melly. Don't make me do my super-mega-puppy-dog pout!"

She merely rolled her eyes. I crossed my arms,

"Melinda Rose Halliwell, you have two choices here: A, you can be stubborn and I can use my super-mega-puppy-dog pout against you; and two, you can just do it now and save the time."

She sighed heavily, grumbling. "Fine," she said, and I watched as both of our trunks rose into the air, landing on the racks. "But I'm doing it with a scowl."

I beamed and hugged her. "Thank you, Melly. You're the bestest cousin a girl could have."

"Whatever." Then she smirked. "Bet you don't think my powers are so lame, now."

"Blahbie blahbie blah."

"Are we there yet?"

"No, _Thorn_, we're not there yet."

"Are you sure?"

"**Yes**."

"How do you _know_, though?"

"Because the train has only been moving for two minutes."

"Oh... It feels like longer."

"I had a feeling you'd say that."

I sighed heavily, "_God_, I'm so bored."

"You're _always_ bored, _Thorn_."

"You are, too, _Melly_," I pointed out. "You just don't let everyone know as often as I do."

She rolled her eyes, as she usually did after I said something. "Whatever."

I reached around Tabby's owl cage for my messenger bag and pulled out my iPod. "Well, if you won't entertain me, I'll have to let Gerard Way do it."

She rolled her eyes again, "Fine by me."

I scrolled through my playlist until I got to My Chemical Romance. I put on _You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison_ and leaned back, ready to be entranced and enthralled in the music. I didn't realize it, but, by the second verse, I was singing along with the words.

"_They all cheat at cards and the checkers are lost  
My cell mate's a killer and they make me do pushups in drag  
But nobody cares if you're losing yourself  
Am I losing myself?  
Well, I miss my mom, will they give me the chair?  
Or lethal injection, or swing from a rope if you dare  
Ah, nobody knows all the trouble I've seen..._"

"You can stop singing now, you know," Melinda said, almost like an afterthought, though she hadn't said anything before. I blushed slightly, pulling out my earphones,

"Sorry," I said, wrapping the wire around my iPod. "I didn't realize."

"You never really do. Not that I'm complaining, or anything, I mean, it's not like you suck."

"Thanks." In the middle of my eye-rolling at her comment, the door slip open, and someone poked their head through.

"Do you mind if me and my friends sit here?" the dark-skinned guy asked. "Everywhere else is full."

"Go ahead," Melinda said, moving some of her stuff so there was more room. The boy breathed a sigh of relief,

"Thanks. You have _no_ idea how long we've been--" Then he stopped. I looked up at him, confused to see him staring at me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him, and he shook his head.

"No, not at all. I'm Lee Jordan," he introduced himself, hefting his heavy trunk onto the rack above Melinda's seat. Then he shouted out to the corridor, "Oy! Fred! George! I think I found us another Weasley!"

Another boy walked in, this one taller than Lee, with pale skin, freckles, and flaming red hair. And when I say "flaming" I _mean_ **flaming**. "What's this about another Weasley?" he asked, then stopped, staring at me. He smirked, placing his hands on his hips, "Well, I'll be damned. It _is_ another Weasley."

"What the hell is a Weasley?" I asked, confused. Red-head smiled,

"I am. Fred Weasley, at your service," he said, hold out his right hand for me to shake. He looked behind him, "And George should be here somewhere..."

"I'm right here, actually," a voice almost exactly like Fred's said, popping up from behind him. I looked at him, then at Fred, then back at him.

"Okay, so you guys are twins," I said.

"Obviously," Melinda said, rolling her eyes.

"So, why am I a Weasley?" I looked at Fred, interested. He pointed to my hair, and I laughed. "Oh. That. Well, it's not real."

"Aw," he pouted, sitting down next to me after I moved Tabby's cage to the floor, for more seat room. "Bloody shame."

"Yeah," George agreed, sitting on my other side. "It'd be damn interesting if Mum and Dad had another kid somewhere. Where are you from, anyway? That's a strange accent you've got there."

Melinda had to answer that question, as I was too busy stifling my laughter and trying hard not to mention that _they_ were the ones with the accents.

"We're from San Francisco, California, in America," she said, and Lee took a seat next to her. She let Godric stay on the seat, as there was no more room needed -- that, and Godric and Tabby didn't really get along too well. "I'm Melinda Perry, and this is my cou-- my _second_ cousin, Gwen." She corrected herself before anyone else noticed.

Fred and George grinned at each other, and they said in unison, "Welcome to Hogwarts."


	6. Chapter 5

_Yay, another chapter! I've promised myself that I wouldn't neglect posting so much, even though I am busy. AP exams are coming up. shivers Anyways, this is actually one of my more favorite chapters that Bekkah and I have written, so I hope you guys like it. The next chapter will be out as soon as Bekkah gets around to starting it. I'm hoping that she already has since we were talking about it yesterday, but Bekkah DOES procrastinate, and she gets distracted easily... So I'm not getting my hopes up or anything. However, even if she didn't start it, she will soon. I'll make sure of that. So that's all for now I guess. Reviews would be nice (just letting you know). Enjoy!_

* * *

**Melinda**

Gwen and I looked at each other, not sure what to say at this point. I really hoped this wasn't going to be an awkward silence; those were the worst.

"So, wait, are you guys first years?" asked one of the twins. We were really going to need a way to tell those two apart.

"No," said Gwen indignantly. "We're fourth."

"Really?" the other twin looked surprised. "No one ever really starts so far ahead."

_Damn, what do we say__?_

_Uh, we need a story, I guess._

_But, we don't have on of those. Why didn't we think about this before?_

_Ugh, we'll just keep it vague, okay?_

_Works for me, but you're doing the talking._

I rolled my eyes at Gwen's last thought. "We're not really sure what our parents did exactly. I think when we moved our parents got in touch with Dumbledore, and then things just went from there. They didn't even tell us we were coming here 'til the last minute, actually." At least that was true, they _did_ wait until the last minute.

_You're good._

_I know I am, but you are SO taking the next explanation we have to do._

_Whatever you say, Melly._

Gwen was putting her iPod away, now that she had something much more interesting to keep her occupied than music. I groaned inwardly at the way she eyeing the twins. This was _so_ not the time for her boy crazy ways. But at least she had some kind of taste; they _were_ pretty cute.

"Blimey, what's that?" I think it was Fred who asked, pointing at Gwen's iPod.

I was about to answer when Gwen giggled. "What?" I asked her. She shook her head,

"Nothing," she answered. "They're just so... _British_."

I rolled my eyes, turning back to the twin, "You don't know what an iPod is?"

"No..." the twins said in unison. "Should we?"

"It plays music, everybody has one. That or an MP3," Gwen explained.

"Wizards don't know about all that Muggle stuff," Lee said.

_What the hell is a Muggle?_

_No idea._

"Muggle?" Gwen asked.

"You know, non-magical people," said George, I think.

"Oh," we said.

"Didn't you guys go to another school for magic, though?" Lee asked. "Even is you were raised like Muggles, wouldn't you know about all that stuff?"

"We went to Magic School," Gwen explained. "The one with the most boring and uncreative name ever, which is probably why Melly here fit right in. Anyways, in America, we just call them mortals."

I moved Godric's cage from the seat, as it was really uncomfortable to sit with it there. I guess that was a bad move, putting him so close to Tabitha, as they both started shrieking. I reached over to move Godric's cage but quickly withdrew my hand when Tabitha tried to bite me.

"Whoa," said Fred. "She's vicious."

"Yeah," I answered. "She's just like her owner. Right, _Thorn_?"

"Oh, it's not like you're a sweet, lovable teddy bear, you know," Gwen retorted, grabbing Tabby's cage and cradling it. The owl chirped in a content kind of way, while the rest of us just stared at it.

We calmed down the owls and then spent the duration of the ride getting to know the Weasleys and Lee Jordan. They were funny and they made the time pass by more quickly. Not to mention, they distracted Gwen enough to limit her asking if we were there yet to fifteen more times, which was **way** less than I was hoping for. Thank God.

Halfway through the ride a small witch came in, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

_Do we have money for this?_

_I guess._

_Yay!_

We saw the array of snacks the witch had and couldn't resist buying some of everything; Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Licorice Wands -- it was irresponsible, but who really cared?

The boys watched us, interested. "Hungry?" one of the twins asked. George, I think.

"Starving," I answered. "We live for junk food."

Fred chuckled, "My kind of girls."

"But I'm not as lucky as Melly is when it comes to eating a whole bunch of crap at once," Gwen said, biting into one of the Every Flavor beans and making a face. "She stays thin due to some kind of kick ass metabolism." She put the box down and picked up a Chocolate Frog, opening it up and pulling out a card. "What are these?" she asked.

"Chocolate Frog cards," Lee said. "Everyone collects them. Which one did you get?" Gwen read the name,

"Merlin."

I opened up a frog and took out the card. "Hey, Godric Gryffindor," I said, looking at the name.

"Really?" one of the twins asked (I really need to find something to tell them apart). I nodded. "Those are really rare. Hardly anybody gets a card with one of the four founders. You'll want to save that."

"Sell it at auction," the other twin added, smirking.

Gwen peered over to look at the picture, "So that's the guy you named your owl after."

"Yup."

We felt the train start to slow down, and I unintentionally heard Gwen's voice in my head, _Freaking finally!_

We got off the train and heard a voice booming, "Firs' years! All firs' years, come to me!"

In the other direction kids were screaming and trying to run away. A moment's inspection told me why; water balloons were flying everywhere.

"_Cool_," Gwen breathed. "Is that a poltergeist? That is so-- AAH!" She screamed, one of the balloons hitting her squarely on the chest, water covering her hair and robes. She looked down at herself, and laughed.

I rolled my eyes, _That is so like you. Now, let's go. I refuse to get hit with a water balloon by a poltergeist._

Gwen rolled her eyes at me.

"Peeves!" the twins shouted in unison. "Come on!" they said, each one grabbing one of our hands.

We ran toward the carriages, which were each pulled by weird, dragon-looking horses with wings. They looked kind of creepy.

"Blimey! What are those?" Gwen asked as she stared at carriages. Then she giggled, "Did you hear that? I was trying out the whole British thing."

_They're thestrals. Only people who've seen death can see them, and I don't think very many normal students have seen death, so don't point it out._

When we got to the school we had no problem finding our way as the twins and Lee led us to the Great Hall. It was huge. To quote one of Gwen's favorite sayings, it was "ginormous". The coolest part about it, I think, was that the ceiling looked like the night sky.

There were four long tables where the students were sitting, while the teachers had their own table up front. In the middle of the table, with a long, white beard and wearing a huge, pointy, purple hat could only be Albus Dumbledore.

_Do you see Harry Potter? We should keep an eye out for him..._

_He's a kid with a scar on the middle of his face, how hard can he be to find?_

"Miss Perry!" I heard someone shout, and it took Gwen and I a while to register that whoever it was meant one of us. We turned to see Professor McGonagall. "Melinda Perry, I need to speak with you for a minute about your class schedule," she said, her tone professional.

I stood up from my seat, giving Gwen one last look before following McGonagall out of the Great Hall.

**Gwen**

I watched Melinda walk away, giving me a strange look. I didn't even move until one of the twins --Fred, I'm _almost_ sure-- pulled me away and towards one of the tables.

"Come on," he said, "you'll miss that song."

"Song?" I repeated questioningly.

"Yeah. The Sorting Hat's song."

It didn't sing a song when it sorted me and Melinda...

We sat down, listening to the Sorting Hat sing about the four houses and how it came to be. The only thing that really stuck out to me was the line "_And power-hungry Slytherin loved those of great ambition..._"

Was that why the Sorting Hat considered putting me in Slytherin? Because I have ambition?

The first person sorted was put in Ravenclaw, and the second --Malcolm Baddock-- was put in Slytherin. Fred and George hissed as he sat down.

"What's wrong with Slytherin?" I asked them.

"What's _not_ wrong with Slytherin?" George responded, rolling his eyes.

Lee leaned closer to me, "There's not a witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin," he said. "You-Know-Who was in it as well."

"You-Know-Who?"

He nodded, "Yeah. You know, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" He paused, smiling. "Or, maybe you don't know. Forget it."

Was he supposed to be talking about Voldemort? I just nodded, as if I knew exactly what he was talking about. All I could think about was how the Sorting Hat had considered placing me in the same house that Voldemort was in.

"What's taking so long?" George groaned.

"Who knew they'd be so many damn first years?" Fred asked, exasperated.

I couldn't really say much of anything, as I was starving, despite all the candy I'd eaten on the train.

Melinda came back just as "Whitby, Kevin!" was being sorted.

"You missed, like, the whole sorting," I said to her. "The Sorting Hat had this cool song and everything."

"Oh, that's too bad," Melinda said, though she was smiling largely.

"What are you smiling about?" I asked her, amused by the look on her face.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"I'll tell you later," she said quietly, watching as Kevin took his seat at the Hufflepuff table.

Professor Dumbledore stood, "I have only two words to say to you," he echoed. "_Tuck in_."

Melinda and I stared as the plates magically filled with all different kinds of food. A few students away, two guys shouted, "Hear, hear!" lifting their forks.

I piled as much turkey and mashed potatoes onto my plate as I could, sighing happily. Fred (I think) looked on, amused.

"Guess Melinda's not the only one with some kind of kick ass metabolism," he mused. I rolled my eyes.

Melinda leaned into me whispered, "I think that's him." She was pointing at the two boys who'd shouted after the sorting. One of them had the same flaming hair as Fred and George, and the other had messy black hair. "That's how everyone described him, anyway."

"Maybe," I whispered back. "I guess we'll get to talk to him later."

"What are you two looking at?" Lee asked, following our gaze. He smirked. "Is it Harry? Or Ron?"

"What?" Melinda and I asked at the same time.

"That's our darling brother, Ronnikins," Fred answered, his eyes glinting for some reason.

"And his friends," George continued, "Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."

At this point, all three of them stared at us as if they were waiting for our reactions.

I rose a brow. "Cool?"

"You _have_ to have heard of Harry Potter," Lee sighed in an exasperated kind of way.

"Well, we _kind of_--"

"Thorn," Melinda warned lowly, and I stopped myself.

"Why do you keep calling her Thorn?" Fred asked, forking his baked potato.

"It's short for _Pain-In-My-Ass_," I informed them, smiling.

George laughed, continuing with our earlier conversation. "Well," he started, "if you don't know him, you'll will, seeing as he's in your year."

"You should probably have Hermione Granger show you your dormitory, too," Lee added. "She's, like, the smartest witch at this school."

"I bet Melly, here, could give her a run for her money," I said, smirking at my cousin, who blushed a little, but otherwise ignored me.

"So, you guys have a brother?" Melinda asked, changing the subject.

Lee snorted. "They have four, but Ron's the only one who still goes to school. And a sister, Ginny. She's in third year." He pointed down to the red-haired girl sitting a few seats away from Ron.

"We'll have to meet them later," Melinda said, and Fred, George and Lee probably thought she was talking about Ron and Ginny, while I knew what she _really_ meant.

_You mean 'meet __**him**__', don't you?_

_Shut up and eat your dinner, Thorn._

**Harry**

"Who're those girls talking to Fred and George?" Hermione asked, nodding in their direction. I glanced at them briefly before shrugging.

"Must be new," Ron mused. "Never seen them before."

"First years?" I suggested.

"They look a little... _developed_ to be first years, mate. Ow!" Ron said as Hermione hit his shoulder.

"They weren't sorted with the first years, either," she said, giving Ron one last scathing look. She watched the new girls as the red-head giggled at something Fred had said. "I just hope they aren't trouble."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Look at them, Hermione. Do they look like trouble to you?"

"You never know, Ronald," Hermione said. "People aren't always what they appear to be."

The food and deserts faded from the trays, and Dumbledore stood, beginning his usual speech.

When he got to the part about the Forbidden Forest and how it was banned to all students, there was a loud _clang!_ Everyone in the Hall looked toward the sound of the noise, and the new red-haired girl was blushing furiously, lifting her goblet from the table, which had been knocked over.

"Sorry," she muttered quietly, though the word echoed throughout the silent Hall. "It... um... slipped?"

The girl beside her rolled her eyes.

Dumbledore chuckled a little, "It's quite alright. Now, this brings me to something else; we have two new transfer students from America attending Hogwarts this year: Misses Melinda and Gwendolyn Perry. Stand up, girls?"

I saw red-head groan, and Fred smirked, nudging her a little to make her stand with the other one.

Dumbledore continued, "They will be starting in their fourth year, and I expect each and every one of you to treat them with the same amount of respect as you would wish to receive, were you in their position."

I watched the black-haired girl mouth something to the red-head: _How are we supposed to keep a low profile now?_

The red-head shrugged.

"Now, speaking of foreign students at Hogwarts this year brings me to a point that brings me to _another_ point," Dumbledore went on, smiling at the confused looks on most of the students' faces. "It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

"_What?_" Hermione and Ron stared at me, but I ignored them, looking at Fred and George, who looked just as outraged as I felt. Dumbledore went on,

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up most of the teachers' time and energy -- but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have a great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts--"

There was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall opened, cutting the rest of Dumbledore's sentence off. Ron and I groaned in anticipation.

**Gwen**

Some weird guy walked in, wearing this huge black cloak. He limped forward, and I realized that he was limping because of his wooden leg. There was a flash of lightning, and I heard Melinda gasp.

The guy had long, dark gray hair, and every inch of his skin seemed to have some sort of scar on it. I think what got Melinda most was that he only had one eye -- or, one human one, anyway. The other was huge and round and blue, and rolling around unblinkingly, scanning the Great Hall.

When he finally sat down, Dumbledore smiled. "May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" he said brightly. "Professor Moody."

"_Mad-Eye Moody?_" George (I'm getting pretty good at this) gasped. Everyone else was too in awe to respond.

"As I was saying," Dumbledore continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "we are to honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" Fred said loudly.

Everyone in the Hall laughed, and even Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively, while Fred flushed crimson and sank down into his seat.

"I am _not_ joking, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, "though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar..."

I giggled, disguising it as a cough when McGonagall cleared her throat loudly. Dumbledore winked at me.

"Er, but maybe this is not the time... no..." he said. "Where was I? Ah, yes, the Triwizard Tournament... well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who _do_ know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely.

"The Triwizard Tournament hasn't been held for _years_," Lee breathed, his eyes shining excitedly.

"What's the Triwizard Tournament?" I asked, completely ignoring Dumbledore's explanation.

"Hogwarts and two other schools meet together, and one student is chosen from each school as a champion," George said.

"The schools look at it as a way to _bring students together_--" Fred said.

"--bridge the ethnic gaps--"

"--establish ties between nations," Fred rolled his eyes. "All that's a load of rubbish, though."

_So cute..._

"It's basically just a huge competition," George finished, and we tuned in to Dumbledore's speech to hear the rest.

"The Heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their shortlisted contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween," he was saying. I gasped,

"Melly, that's our birthday!"

"I know, Thorn."

"Wait. Ew, that's gonna suck." Even worse than it would have normally.

"I know, Thorn."

"An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money."

"I'm going for it!" Fred hissed, and he wasn't the only one. Everyone started whispering to their friends, talking about the money, probably.

But then Dumbledore spoke again, and the Hall quieted once more.

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," he said, "the Heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age --that is to say, seventeen years or older--will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." His eyes flickered toward Fred and George. "I therefor beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen.

"The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop chop!"

"They can't do that!" George seethed, and I saw Harry and his friends walking over. "We're seventeen in April, why can't we have a shot?"

"You guys are only sixteen?" I asked. Melinda elbowed me, rolling her eyes.

"Not the time," she muttered.

"It's _always_ the time," I sang back, turning back to the guys.

"They're not stopping me from entering," Fred said stubbornly. "The champions'll get to do all sorts of stuff you'd never be allowed to do normally. And a thousand Galleons prize money!"

"Yeah," Fred's younger brother said wistfully. "Yeah, a thousand Galleons..."

"Well, we're not gonna be able to enter, either way," Lee said, rolling his eyes.

"We'll see about that," Fred said, his eyes glinting mischievously. He shook his head absently, turning to his younger brother. "Ronnikins, we'd like you to meet some new friends of ours--"

"--Melinda and Gwen Perry," George said, pointing at us respectively. "Guys, this is our brother, Ron--"

"--and his friends, Hermione Granger and Harry Potter," Fred finished.

"It's nice to meet you," Hermione said brightly. She was a small girl with hair that made me want to attack her with my hair straightener.

"Forget Dumbledore and McGonagall," Fred said. "This is the girl to go to with any questions about the school."

Hermione blushed.

"So, you guys are in our year?" she asked, and we nodded. She smiled. "Good. That means we'll be sharing a dormitory. It'll be good to have more than just Parvati and Lavender in the room, giggling over boys all the time."

Melinda smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"You think you can show us our way to the dormitory?" Melinda asked her, and she nodded.

"Of course. It's right above the Gryffindor Common Room."

"That'd be cool, except..." I glanced over at Dumbledore, who was winking at me. McGonagall was by his side, and they were looking at me pointedly, "...I think Dumbledore and McGonagall want to have a little word with us."

I nudged Melinda and she followed my gaze, nodding to herself. "Right," she said. She looked at Hermione, "I guess we'll see you later, then?"

"Obviously," I rolled my eyes. "We share a room, Melly."

"At least I'm not the only person that has to deal with your hyper-ness, now," she mused, turning to walk toward the professors. She looked back at everyone else, "It was nice meeting you all."

"Bye," I said, smiling at them all before following my cousin.

"Hello, Professor," she greeted McGonagall. Then she turned to Dumbledore, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."

"I do believe the pleasure is all mine," he said, smiling. "To be in the presence of two such lovely young ladies as yourselves."

"Well, you're quite the charmer," I said playfully, then I blushed. "Sorry. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut in front of authority figures."

"It's no problem at all, Miss Halliwell," Dumbledore said quietly, a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm sure that old saying 'old habits die hard' applies here. Now, if you'll please follow me to my office, Minerva and I would like to have a word with you."

Melinda and I shared a glance before following the two of them out of the Great Hall. We walked for a while, not stopping until we approached a strange stone gargoyle. "Cockroach Cluster," Dumbledore said calmly, and the gargoyle jumped aside.

_Cool..._

We followed them up the staircase until Dumbledore opened a large wooden door. I stepped inside tentatively.

_Cool. Chateau D'Albus._

_Shut up, Thorn._

Dumbledore's office was huge, and very nicely decorated, I may add. There were lots of cool silver spindly things around. I don't know what they did, but they sure as hell looked cool.

Dumbledore sat behind the huge desk, "You may have a seat," he said, waving his wand and conjuring two seats on the opposite side of his desk. Melinda and I sat down, but McGonagall stayed standing behind Dumbledore.

"You're probably wondering why we've asked you up here," Dumbledore started.

"Only a little," Melinda said. Dumbledore smiled.

"As you know, seeing as the two of you are different from your classmates, there are certain rules and guidelines you must follow," he said. "You must never tell anyone who you are, unless it is absolutely necessary, though I can't imagine a scenario where it would be necessary. You will attend your classes, you will do your work, and you will not, under any circumstances, use your powers in front of any students. Speaking of which, what are your powers, exactly?"

I cleared my throat, "Well, Melinda gets premonitions, and she's telekinetic. And I can freeze things and orb. And now we have this weird telepathic thing going on..."

"Those shouldn't be too difficult to hide," Dumbledore mused, the tips of his long fingers touching. "Is there anything not fully under your control that may alert the students to who you are?"

"Sometimes our eyes change color," Melinda said. "And our hair. My eyes turn silver, and I get silver streaks. Same with Gwen, except hers go gold. It happens whenever we're feeling really strong emotions. I can always tell when it happens to me, and I pretty much always change it back before anyone notices, but, Gwen's a little more difficult when it comes to discipline."

I smiled sheepishly.

"Well, in that case, you'll have to work on your control," Dumbledore said, smiling. "And we have the perfect place for you to do so."


	7. Chapter 6

_Hello everyone! We have a LONG chapter here for you all to enjoy. If it's too long, just let us know, we love feedback. Just FYI Melinda's thoughts are italicized and bold and Gwen's thoughts are italicized and underlined. I know in previous chapters Melinda's were only in italics, but I wanted it too be a little more noticeable. Anyways, we hope you like it, we spent a lot time on this one. Reviews are wonderful, we appreciate constructive criticism very, very much. Enjoy! :D_

* * *

**Gwen**

We followed Dumbledore through the corridors of the school, moving so fast and swift that Melinda and I had a hard time keeping up with him. He seems very agile for an old guy.

"Um, Professor Dumbledore, sir?" Melinda asked, a little breathless from the speed-walking. "Where are we going?"

"To a lovely little room a few corridors away from the Gryffindor Common Room," Dumbledore answered in a pleasant way that wasn't vague at all.

"And this room is for...?" I asked, cursing myself for being so short and having to take such long strides to keep up with them. Even million-year-old _McGonagall_ was keeping pace with him.

"For your use only," McGonagall said sternly. "You may use this room for training and making potions and anything else you may need, but you may _not_ give anyone access to it. The only people permitted into this room will be people who know of your real identities, and, as the only people who know who you are the Heads of Houses and the Headmaster, that shouldn't be a problem."

Dumbledore made a sudden right turn and I almost tripped over my own foot. "And who are the Heads of Houses again?"

"As you already know, I am head of Gryffindor house. The Herbology teacher, Professor Sprout, is head of Hufflepuff; Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, is head of Ravenclaw; and your Potions teacher, Professor Snape, is head of Slytherin house," she answered.

"So, only five people here know who we really are?" Melinda asked skeptically, to which McGonagall nodded.

"But there are, like, hundreds of people here," I said, gasping. I really need to work out more.

"Yeah," Melinda nodded. "Who are we supposed to talk to if something goes wrong with this whole thing?"

"Four very capable adults were just named that you could always go to," Dumbledore said evenly, despite the quick, long steps he was taking. "And I'm sure you could always turn to each other, should the time come."

"What if someone finds out?" Melinda asked quickly.

"That shouldn't be a problem, because no one should find out. _But_..." Dumbledore added, slowing down a little, "...if someone _should_ discover your true identities, you should at least make sure it's someone you can trust."

"Is that your subtle way of telling us we can eventually tell someone?" I asked, the corners of my mouth turning up into a slight smirk. Dumbledore only smiled, and stopped so suddenly that I bumped into him.

"Here we are."

"Here?" I asked, moving to the left so I could see what he was looking at. "Who is this a picture of?" I asked, staring at the portrait in front of me. Strangely, the first thing I noticed about it was that there were random letters and symbols carved on the wooden frame, and then I took a look at the actual portrait. There was a young woman sitting in an old wooden chair that didn't look comfortable at all, but she was smiling genuinely. She had straight blonde hair the fell just a little passed her shoulders, and big blue eyes. She was wearing an old peasant dress and on her neck was a thin chain, a silver triquatra hanging from it.

She winked at us.

Melinda gasped, "Is that--?"

I gasped too, "Oh, my gosh--"

"That can't be--"

"But it _is_--"

"Melinda Warren!" we squealed excitedly, and it was. Melinda Warren was the witch who started the whole Halliwell line when she was burned at the stake and vowed that those who followed her would be more and more powerful until, eventually, the Charmed Ones came into the world. She must not have known that Melly and me would come into the picture.

"That's so cool," she said.

"We love you!" I shouted at the portrait, and she grinned at us.

"It's nice to see my death wasn't in vain," she said.

"We've had this portrait for quite some time," Dumbledore said. "But it's been hanging in my office until now. We put it in place as the entrance for your room."

"And nobody else knows who it is?" Melinda asked, and Dumbledore smiled at her, shaking his head.

"Only the Heads of Houses," he said.

McGonagall cleared her throat, "And now..." she trailed off, looking at the portrait. Melinda Warren's portrait swung open, revealing one of the spiral staircases.

"Ladies, follow me," Dumbledore said, taking a Dumbledore-stride onto the third step. We did, and Melinda sighed quietly, while I grinned and said,

"I've always wanted one of these."

"Jesus Christ," I gasped, holding onto the banister.

"Still want one of these?" Melinda asked in a pant, though she was still doing better than me. I glared at her,

"Shut up."

"Ah, here we are," Dumbledore smiled, and I saw that there was a big stone door in front of him.

"You two will agree on an entrance password," McGonagall said. "But you can wait until after we leave to do that if you wish." As soon as she said that the door creaked open, and we all stepped inside. It was a pretty big room by my standards, with cream colored walls and two more doors on opposite sides of the room.

"This room and my office are the only places where you can orb out of the school," Dumbledore told me, taking some more Dumbledore-strides into the room. "Everywhere else is magically blocked so that you can only orb within grounds."

Orbing in school? Sweet.

"I think I'm okay with that," I said, biting my lip to hide my smile. Melinda rolled her eyes.

"Now," Dumbledore began, throwing out his arms and smiling. "What will you need? My wand is at your disposal; I am here to serve."

Melinda and I shared a look before our faces broke out into grins.

"Some books would be nice, maybe. You know, for research?"

"Maybe a cabinet filled with potion supplies; that'd be cool."

"And maybe we can have some weapons along this wall here, for when we train."

"And maybe that wall can just be _covered_ with mirrors, so we can watch ourselves while we train, like they do in ballet studios."

"And maybe some punching bags and some mats on the floor, for when _someone_ falls."

"And, ooh, one of those cool bar thingies, you know, like they have in ballet studios. Crap, what are those called again?"

And I grinned when Dumbledore summoned the bar I had asked him to. Now there were three tall bookshelves completely _filled_ with books (along with a ladder to reach the ones at the top), a _huge_ cabinet that I was just sure was filled with all the potion ingredients and supplies we'd need for a year, a punching bag hanging in one corner of the room, and a giant blue cheerleading mat on the center of the floor. Not only that, but the wall with the door that led to the staircase was covered in staffs and daggers and stakes and I think also an ax or two, and the wall in front of us was more like a string of tall mirrors.

"This is perfect," I said, looking around the room. Melinda nodded beside me.

"There's only one more thing we need," she said, looking at Dumbledore apologetically. "A carbon copy of the Book of Shadows."

"Ah," Dumbledore said. "That may be a little more time-consuming than you think. The only way someone can conjure a copy of the Book of Shadows is if they've already seen it before, as with the pages of spells and demons within it."

"So, how will you copy it if you've never seen it before?" Melinda asked curiously, to which Dumbledore smiled.

"Simple. _Legilimens!_" he said, pointing his wand at Melinda, who froze, eyes wide open.

I watched, entranced by the look of pure concentration on Dumbledore's face, and by the amount of surprise on Melinda's. She'd never been so caught off guard before, and it made me smile a little.

Dumbledore lifted his wand, smiling at Melinda, who was too busy with her rapid blinking to notice. "What in the world was that?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"What happened?" I asked her curiously.

"I saw the Book," she answered, sounding a little unsure. "And it was doing that thing where all the pages flip randomly. Did you do that?" she asked Dumbledore, who was still smiling.

"Of course, Miss Halliwell," he answered. "I can't very well conjure a version of the Book of Shadows without having first seen it and most of it's contents, can I?" He twirled his long wand a little, and a small, yet sturdy-looking podium appeared in the center of the room.

Melinda looked confused. "But where's the--"

She was cut off by a flash of bright blue light, and something large fell from the ceiling.

"The Book?" I asked, staring at the huge leather bound book that had just literally fallen from the ceiling. Melinda snorted to herself,

"That answers _that_ question..."

"It's as much of the Book of Shadows as I could get," Dumbledore said as Melinda and I strode up to the Book, flipping through some of the pages. "I couldn't see all of the pages in the past pace they were flipping through."

I flipped some more of the pages, "It _does_ seem a bit smaller," I admitted. "But only a little. And it's the best we've got. Besides," I added, smirking at me cousin, "even _Melinda_ couldn't remember every single page in the Book of Shadows."

Melinda rose a brow. "I'm not sure if that was supposed to be an insult or not."

"Actually, it was a bit more of a compliment."

More skeptical eyebrow-raising, followed by a, "_Really?_"

"Yes. I _can_ do that, you know."

"Well, here we are," Dumbledore smiled happily, stopping in front of the portrait of a rather -uh- _big_ lady in a pink dress.

"Password?" she said as we approached her.

"Balderdash," Professor McGonagall said, and the portrait swung open. She looked at Melinda and I, "That is the password to get into the Gryffindor common room. Remember it."

"It is my belief that Miss Granger will be in there waiting for you to show you were your dormitories are. Have a good night," Dumbledore said, and he and Professor McGonagall turned to leave.

"Good night," Melinda and I called out.

"Oh, one more thing," Dumbledore added, turning back around. He smiled at us. "Welcome to Hogwarts." And he and McGonagall left.

I turned to my cousin, "So, Melly..." I started, and I saw her roll her eyes. "How are you likin' our new job so far?"

"So far?" she asked, stepping through the portrait. I nodded, following her.

"Yeah." We stepped out of the passage and into the Gryffindor common room. I turned slowly, looking around at all the armchairs and couches, the small tables that still had cards on them, the portraits with moving people hanging on the walls. The entire room was warm and I could see the fire that was slowly dying, since there was pretty much no one in the room for it to be going for. It was a very comfortable room; I could see myself spending many nights here just thinking.

Melinda seemed to be thinking the same thing; she smiled at me. "It has it's perks."

"_There_ you are," a voice said from above us. I turned and saw that girl from before --Hermione Granger-- standing at the top of a winding staircase. I almost groaned; _not another one of those..._

Hermione all but ran down the stairs, "I've been waiting for you to get back from Dumbledore's office, so I could show you where the dormitory was. All your stuff has already been brought up," she said, walking back up the stairs. "Come on."

We followed up the stairs until we reached a door labeled _Fourth Year Girls_.

"This is the fourth year girls' dormitory," Hermione said briskly, and I fought the urge to point out that this was on a plaque on the door. I figured Hermione needed something to say, anyway. She opened the door and the first thing I noticed was the huge window where I could see the moon. Then I saw the five beds, and the other two girls in the room.

"Melinda, Gwen, this is Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil," she said, pointing at the dark-skinned girl and the pretty Indian girl, respectively. "Lavender, Parvati, this is Melinda and Gwen Perry."

Lavender picked up her brush in her left hand and held out her right for Melinda and I to shake, "It's nice to meet you."

"Saw you during the feast," Parvati grinned. "When the goblet dropped," she added, and I blushed.

"That was an accident," I said quietly, trying to stop my blush. I probably looked like the stereotypical red-head, despite the fact that it wasn't my natural hair color.

"Loud accident," Parvati commented, grabbing some clothes and heading toward the door on the right. Lavender followed her.

"Bathrooms are over there," Hermione said, pointing at the door where the others had just disappeared. "There are only three showers, so we'll have to take turns. I can take my shower while you get settled, okay?"

"Sure, go ahead," Melinda said, the ever-polite one. She walked up to the bed that had her trunk and started going through her things. I pulled my iPod out of my pocket to pass the time.

"That won't work here," Hermione said, just as I was about to put the earphones in.

"What?" I asked dumbly. Hermione smiled.

"That's a Muggle iPod, right? It won't work here. There's too much magic in the air," she added, smiling to herself as she went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

"Too much magic?" I repeated, pouting. "I can't use my iPod? What kind of world have we walked into?" I asked Melinda desperately. She rolled her eyes,

"Calm down, Thorn," she said, walking over to me. "I'm sure there's _something_ we can do. A rhyming couplet, perhaps?" she suggested, grabbing the other end of my iPod so that we were both holding. We both thought for a minute, before she said,

_"Hogwarts magic to counter-act__  
__And use this musical compact."_

The iPod glowed for a second, before turning back to normal. I rose a brow at her, "Well, that was crappy."

She glared at me. "It worked, didn't it?" She started to take her hands off the iPod, but I stopped her,

"Wait a second." I took a deep breath in,

_"And with a changing color-scheme__  
__my iPod shall remain unseen."_

It was Melinda's turn to raise a brow, and I shrugged. "What? I can't very well listen to music in class if the teachers can _see_ it, can I?"

She rolled her eyes.

**Melinda**

I curled up into the bed and fell asleep more quickly than I would have expected. Before I fell asleep, I was aware of Gwen tossing and turning, but that wasn't unusual. She's an insomniac half the time.

The sun came up _way_ too fast. I am in no way a morning person. Gwen claims that morning isn't her favorite time of day either, but somehow she manages to be hyper regardless. This was, of course, how she beat me to the shower -- something I should have known better than to allow to happen, seeing as how she takes _forever_.

I was still a little groggy as I looked around the dormitory. Hermione was preoccupied with stuffing books into her bag, and Lavender and Parvati were both giggling about something.

Gwen came out of the shower wearing a robe. "Morning Melly! Get up; it's our first day of school."

I suppressed a groan and rolled off the bed. "I never thought I'd see the day when _you'd_ be excited about the first day of school."

She ignored me and proceeded to continue getting ready. I rushed a little so that we wouldn't be late. When we were both dressed we stood in front of the mirror, frowning at our reflections.

Hermione noticed our distaste. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's the uniforms," Gwen said with a frown.

Now Parvati and Lavender were looking at us curiously too. "We didn't have to wear them at our old school," I explained.

"Wow, lucky," Lavender sighed.

"Well," Parvati said, lifting her bag onto her shoulders, and she and Lavender turned to leave, "I suppose we'll see you later in class."

"We better get going, too," Hermione said. "If not, Harry and Ron might leave to go to breakfast without us. Ron's first priority is _always_ his stomach," she added, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, let's go, Gwen," I said. "Staring at the uniforms isn't going to miraculously make them fashionable."

"I guess you're right," she said, tugging at her shirt and sounding a little put-out. "There's no hope for these things."

"Let's go Melinda, Gwen," Hermione said, picking up her over-stuffed bag and heading out the door. I lifted my own onto my shoulders as Gwen threw the strap of her messenger bag over her neck, and we left the dormitory, following Hermione down the stairs.

"You know, your names sound _really_ familiar," Hermione mused. "I swear I've seen them somewhere before."

We glanced at each other in a quick moment of panic. "Well, Gwen and Melinda aren't really _that_ uncommon," I said quickly.

"I know, I know," Hermione brushed off that comment. "But I've seen them somewhere _together_." She thought for a moment. "But maybe I'm just remembering wrong."

"Probably," Gwen said with mock-solemnity.

_Think we need to worry about her?_ Gwen thought to me.

_**I don't know. We'll just have to be extra careful around her. No slip-ups.**_

_Can't we just avoid her?_

_**Not if she's Harry's friend.**_

_Damn._

We made our way to the common room where Hermione led us to Harry and Ron -- not that they were hard to spot. The first years gawked at Harry as if they'd never seen anything like him before, and Ron stood out because of his flaming red hair.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry greeted her.

"Morning, Harry," Hermione responded. "You remember Gwen and Melinda, right?"

"Of course we don't," Ron said sarcastically. "They were only introduced to us by Fred and George yesterday."

"You know what I meant, _Ronald_," Hermione snapped. Gwen and I watched them, a little amused, but I noticed that Harry looked a little uncomfortable, probably because we were intruding on their little trio.

_Harry's pretty cute._

_  
__Don't start,_ I warned her in my thoughts. She looked surprised for a second that I heard that, and I figured that she probably hadn't meant for me to. She recovered quickly, though,

_Have you seen his eyes, though? They're _so_ nice._

_**Well, I can't argue with you there.**_

"Can we go eat now? I'm starved," Ron complained.

Hermione looked at Gwen and I as if to say, "See, I told you."

"We're going back to the Great Hall? Gwen asked, sounding excited. Hermione nodded,

"That's where we always eat," she said.

"That place is so cool," Gwen said. "Did you see the ceiling, Melly?"

I looked at her pointedly. "What was that, Gwendolyn?"

She rolled her eyes, "Did you see the ceiling, _Melinda_?"

"Yeah," I said, holding back my victorious smile. "I read that it's enchanted to look like the sky outside in one of those books I got at Diagon Alley, _Hogwarts, A History_."

Ron gasped. "Hermione... someone _besides_ you has actually read _Hogwarts, A History_."

"Just because _you_ don't read doesn't mean that the rest of the world is illiterate," Hermione bit back. I saw Gwen smile.

You know, I'm starting to think they like each other.

You might be right about that

We headed to the Great Hall where we were happily greeted with an assortment of breakfast foods. I didn't even worry about looking greedy as I filled my plate with food, Gwen doing the same across from me, smiling. Hermione sat on my left, Harry on her other side, and Ron sat across from Hermione next to Gwen, also piling food onto his plate.

Not long after we sat down, McGonagall came by to give the fourth years' their schedules. She stopped when she got to me, "I'm going to need to speak with you two when breakfast is over."

"Okay," Gwen and I said in unison.

"So we're not the only ones who do that, then," someone mused once McGonagall was gone, and we all turned to see Lee Jordan and the twins, one of the twins being the speaker.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Gwen asked, smiling at them innocently while one of the twins squeezed between her and Ron, and Lee sat on Gwen's other side. The other twin -George, I'm pretty sure- sat next to me, as only four people could fit on a bench at a time.

"Talking simultaneously," Fred answered, throwing his arms around Gwen and Ron's shoulders. "So..." he began, "how's our two new favorite students doing?"

"Ehh," Gwen shrugged, grabbing a cup of coffee.

"You like coffee?" Lee sounded surprised, and Gwen giggled tiredly,

"Only with my oxygen."

"Are the accommodations to your liking?" George asked me, piling eggs onto his plate.

"Beds are comfy," I said, grabbing my own coffee. "And really warm."

"She practically passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow," Gwen commented. I rolled my eyes.

Ron was looking at the schedule McGonagall gave him. "Today's not bad..." he said. "Outside all morning. Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures... damn it," he cursed, "we're still with the Slytherins..."

I could only think about how glad I was I didn't have Care of Magical Creatures as I looked at my own schedule. Then I noticed something strange.

"Double Divination this afternoon," Harry groaned.

"You should have given it up like me, shouldn't you?" Hermione said briskly. "Then you'd be doing something sensible like Arithmancy."

While Hermione and Ron continued bickering, I leaned in to Gwen, seeing her frown. She probably noticed the same thing I had. "Can I see your schedule?" I asked her.

She held out her own hand, "Switch." We swapped parchments and I saw that she also had a blank spot on her Monday schedule, though hers was for the last block instead of the second, like mine.

"Why do we have empty blocks for Monday?" Gwen asked me quietly, so that no one else would hear. Apparently it wasn't quiet enough, because Fred heard.

"Empty blocks?" he asked, grabbing the schedules out of our hands to look at them. "Hey, these are right when George, Lee and I have our free periods!" he said excitedly, then his expression turned mock-solemn. "The number of O.W.L.s we got wasn't _quite_ what Mum was expecting."

"O.W.L.s?" I asked, confused.

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels," Hermione answered. "We take them in our fifth years. They decide which classes we take for our sixth and seventh years, and then in seventh year we take our N.E.W.T.s. Nearly Exhausting Wizarding Tests," she added.

"Sounds like fun," Gwen groaned, just before the Great Hall was swarmed by owls. I could see Godric and Gwen's owl Tabitha among the mass of browns and grays. There was a letter from my mom and a newspaper that I had subscribed to before we left the Leaky Cauldron, just so Gwen and I could keep up with the happenings in the "Muggle" world. The letter from my mom didn't really say much; I could have guessed the contents without reading them. She just wanted to know how we were doing, if I'd forgotten anything that she should send for me, if we'd met Harry yet. Gwen said she got a letter from Uncle Chris saying pretty much the same thing.

Fred took a piece of toast, "Those are some nice looking owls," he commented.

"Thanks," Gwen said. "We think they're pretty sexy too."

Fred took a bite out of the toast, "That's a quality you should always look for."

Gwen looked like she was suppressing a smirk. "You have toast crumbs all over your face."

"I like them there."

After a while, Gwen and I got back on the topic of the blank spots in our schedules.

"Maybe we have free periods," Gwen suggested.

"As cool as that would be, I don't think our luck is that great," I responded.

Gwen sighed and grabbed a bagel, "You really shouldn't be so pessimistic, Melly," she commented, buttering the bagel. "It'll give you wrinkles."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like you're the Queen of Optimism. And, isn't it frowning that's supposed to give you wrinkles?"

"Pssh, whatevs," she said, doing this weird limp thing with her wrist that I've only ever seen her and some gay guys on TV be able to pull off. "You frown a lot, too, so, either way, you're getting wrinkles." She looked back at my schedule, which was flat on the table next to hers, and frowned. "I think they messed up your schedule. It says here that you have three classes at the same time. You can't take Divination, Arithmancy, _and_ Ancient Runes, all at once. You'll die," she added quite seriously.

I picked my schedule back up and put it in the pocket of my robes. "Oh, that. Don't worry about it. McGonagall talked to me about it last night."

She looked at me curiously, as if expecting an explanation.

_**I'll tell you about it later.**_

I also noticed Hermione watching us. She seemed as though she was going to ask something, but McGonagall came before she could voice her question.

"Girls, follow me," McGonagall said, leading us into the Entrance Hall. "You may have noticed that both of you have empty spaces in your schedules. This is because Professor Dumbledore has realized that you are here for reasons beyond simply learning magic like the other students. We also recognize that you both have individual powers that you need to train with, and since that training is not available as a course here at Hogwarts, you will need sufficient time to work on that. Your parents have assured us that you are both capable of teaching yourselves how to master your powers, therefore, we are allowing you one free ninety-minute period a week."

"Really?!" Gwen asked excitedly. She turned to me with a smug, "Told you."

I thought I saw McGonagall give a small smile, but it was quickly wiped off her face. "Yes, really. Also, while your unique schedules are not a secret, we ask that you do not flaunt it to the rest of the student body. If anyone does ask, simply tell them that since you are both new, and have not had the same learning opportunity as everyone, Professor Dumbledore has allowed you both time for individual study. As for you, Melinda," she turned to me, "we discussed your schedule yesterday, correct? You know what to do?"

I nodded.

_What is she talking about?_ Gwen practically screamed in my head.

_**I said I'd tell you later. God! Just relax, okay?**_

_I am not a patient person. You should know that by now, Melly._

_**If you don't stop calling me "Melly," I won't tell you at all.**_

_Fine, _Melinda.

We went back to the Great Hall and saw the others standing to leave.

"We should be going," Hermione said. "First class is Herbology. We'll show you where the greenhouses are," she added to us.

Just as we all went to exit the Great Hall, one of the professors walked right by us, his cloak billowing behind him. He stopped right in front of us. He had long, greasy dark hair, a hook nose, and these creepy black eyes. "Potter, Granger, Jordan, Weasleys," he said, nodding at them all in a way that was both polite and hostile. He turned to Gwen and I. "And the new Perrys, I see. Right where you belong," he added maliciously, and I saw his eyes flicker to Harry for the briefest second, causing Gwen to raise a brow.

_He must be one of the teachers who knows about us,_ I thought to myself.

"I look forward to our first class tomorrow," he added to us before turning swiftly, his cloak whipping around him. I waited for him to leave before asking,

"Who's the creepy guy, and what's he teach?"

"_That_ was Snape," Harry said, his eyes narrowed and focused on the doors where "Snape" just disappeared behind. "He teaches Potions."

"And he hates anyone who isn't in Slytherin," Ron added firmly. "Just because he's their Head of House."

"Potions, eh?" Gwen asked, a slow smile growing on her face.

Lee nodded. "If there's one _tiny_ thing wrong with your potion, he won't hesitate to take away  
House points."

I felt myself smile as well, deciding to ask Hermione later what House points were. "Well, we shouldn't have too terrible of a time with that."

On our way to class Gwen asked me if I knew who the Herbology teacher was.

"I think her name's Professor Sprout," I answered, remembering something Hermione said at lunch about the teachers.

Gwen giggled. "That fits."

I rolled my eyes and followed Harry, Ron and Hermione into the greenhouse.

Professor Sprout came into the greenhouse as soon as the bell rang, and started explaining that the gross-looking "plants" around the room were called Bubotubers. All Gwen and I needed to hear was the word "pus" before we started cringing.

"Do we _have_ to do this?" she whispered to me, using a gloved hand to poke at one of the plants hesitantly.

"If we want a grade, I guess," I answered her, squeezing one of the boils and wincing when it popped.

Ron leaned in to us, "Bet you're not so excited about the first day of school now, are you?"

"Well, I was expecting something a little _better_--" she cringed when one of the boils on the plant she had been poking popped suddenly, but caught the pus in the bottle Sprout had given us, and continued, "--than bubotubers. At least we have gloves on," she added thoughtfully.

"You'll just draw a silver lining on anything, won't you," I mused, shaking my head at my cousin. She didn't anwer me, too preoccupied with gathering the pus.

We spent the rest of the class trying to make sure it didn't get on our skin, while Harry and Ron laughed at us.

When class ended and we could finally take off our dragon-hide gloves, Gwen pouted. "I guess it's time for us to split up, Melly-- I mean, Melinda, of course," she added, remembering my threat. "Since you don't have Care of Magical Creatures with us." Her lower lip trembled dramatically. "I'll miss you."

I rolled my eyes at her antics. "We're going to be apart for ninety minutes, Gwen," I pointed out.

"But we've never been apart for a class before," she mock-whined while the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

"Just look at it this way," I said quietly, grabbing her elbow so she would stay behind with me and let the others go on. "You get ninety minutes more to bond." I nodded in Harry's direction, "Ninety minutes more to get a certain someone's _trust_, to make it that much easier to watch over him."

She sighed. "Why do I feel like, just because _I'm_ his Whitelighter, this whole thing's riding on me?"

I shrugged. "Because it is."

"Was that your way of adding unnecessary pressure to an already tense situation?"

"Maybe."


	8. Chapter 7

_Hi everyone! MissIndecisive here. I know it has been FOREVER since the last update. Blame XxSilverxXxRosexX (jk). However, today's Halloween! Which means it's Melinda and Gwen's birthday. They'd very much appreciate some reviews for presents. *hint, hint* Thank you to all who read, and feedback both good and bad is very appreciated. Just a reminder, Gwen's thoughts are underlined and italicized and Melinda's are bold and italicized, although this chapter is all Gwen. _

_XxSilverxXxRosexX apoligizes for the "super lateness." She rationalizes by saying that she's been really busy since the last update, and hasn't had time to do any of her stories except this one. So be happy. _

_We hope you all enjoy!!! :D_

* * *

**Gwen**

I watched Melinda walk toward the castle with the Hufflepuffs, though they were going to Transfiguration while she was going to... somewhere else.

"C'mon Gwen," Ron called over his shoulder, stopping to wait for me. "Let's get to class." I looked down to hide the smile that was forming on my face, glad that they were actually considerate enough to remember that I had no clue where I was going.

"Just wait till you meet Hagrid," Harry said excitedly.

"Hagrid?" I repeated warily. Was that some kind of creepy monster thing I'd be dealing with today?

"He's the one who teaches Care of Magical Creatures," Hermione informed me.

"He's all right, Hagrid is," Ron supplied, his legs taking these long strides, almost reminding me of Dumbledore. "Just a little..."

"Enthused?" Hermione supplied with a raised brow and a sly smile. She turned to me, "His idea of dangerous doesn't exactly match up with the ideas of some other people."

"Like last year," Ron added darkly.

"What happened last year?" I asked, curious as always.

"Hagrid had this hippogriff, Buckbeak," Harry started hesitantly, and I saw Hermione and Ron share a look. "He was teaching the class how to behave around them and Malfoy was a stupid prat who didn't know how to listen and got hurt." I saw Ron smirk slightly at the way Harry was so easily insulting this "Malfoy" person. "The board of Governors wanted to have Hagrid fired, but, they just sentenced Buckbeak to death."

I gasped. "_Death?_ The hippogriff _died_?"

Harry hesitated again, and looked at Hermione, who was blushing a little. "Not exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"Buckbeak got away," Hermione explained softly, and she stopped walking right in front of a small wooden cabin, where possibly the biggest person I've ever seen in my life was standing with some giant black dog thing. The dog seemed to be trying to get at one of the open crates in front of the hut, but the guy was holding it back. I took a step closer to one of the crates but froze when it shook suddenly, and a strange, tiny explosion pierced the air.

"H-hey, Hagrid," Ron said nervously, his eyes trained on the crates.

"Mornin'!" Hagrid said, practically beaming. "Be'er wait fer the Slytherins, they won' want ter miss this --- Blast-Ended Skrewts!"

Okay, I seem to be _waaaaaay_ behind in my studies of magical creatures. "Come again?" I asked.

I heard a loud squeal, and I saw Lavender Brown jumping away from a crate. I took a step forward to get a better look at them, and almost gagged. They looked like some sort of shell-less lobsters or something, with no heads that I could see. They were a few inches long, and smelled so horribly like fish that I thought I was going to puke.

"On'y jus' hatched," Hagrid said proudly, "so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves!" Oh, crap. "Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!"

"And why would we _want_ to raise them?" I turned around and saw that the Slytherins had arrived. Standing right in front of the group was a guy with bleach blonde hair and icy gray eyes. He was staring at the boxes disdainfully. "I mean, what do they _do_? What's the _point_ of them?"

Hagrid thought for a moment, then said, "Tha's next lesson, Malfoy." Ahh, Malfoy. The stupid prat. "Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'ren things --- I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer --- I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake --- jus' try 'em out with a bit of each."

Five minutes later, Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were carting around handfuls of liver, trying to get the skrewts to eat them.

"These things look worse than most of the stuff Snape has us use for our potions," Ron complained, gingerly picking up a dropped piece of liver and tossing it into our crate.

"Ahh, Snape," I sighed wistfully. "And his billowy cape of doom. Can't wait to get to his class tomorrow."

"Never heard anyone say that before," Harry said, scooping up some eggs and sprinkling them on the skrewts. "It's usually, 'I can't wait for his class to finish...'"

"I just want to see his reaction to some perfectly brewed, new-Gryffindor-student-made potions," I sighed again, unable to keep the grin off my face. "Trust me; it's gonna be great."

"You're good at making potions?" Ron asked, interested for some reason.

"Me and Melly," I nodded. "My grandmother taught us to make them, and she's the best."

"Brilliant!" Harry and Ron said together. Ron was beaming. "You two can work with the three of us, then! With you, Melinda and Hermione, Snape won't have a reason to take points away from us."

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "Snape's too bitter to just let Hermione be the smartest in his class. But with three Gryffindor geniuses, there's no way he can take his frustration out on us."

"I definitely wouldn't say I'm a genius or anything," I said, shaking my head. "Melinda, definitely; but me? No way. I'm just good for potions and charms. And animals, of course," I added, looking down at the Blast-Ended Skrewts in our crate. I grimaced. "Well, _most_ animals."

"_Ouch_!" someone yelled. "It got me! Its end exploded!" a dark-skinned boy said angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand.

"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off," Hagrid said, nodding.

I made a face. "Ew..."

I heard Lavender Brown squeal again, "Ew! Ew, Hagrid, what's that pointy thing on it?"

"Ah, some of 'em have got stings," Hagrid said. "I reckon they're the males.... The females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies.... I think they might be ter suck blood."

"Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive," Stupid Prat said sarcastically. "Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?"

"Just because they're not very pretty, it doesn't mean they're not very useful," Hermione snapped. "Dragon blood's amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?"

"Yeah!" I added, a little angry that Stupid Prat would have the nerve to bad-mouth something he didn't even know. "And it would be physically and scientifically impossible for one of these to be able to sting and bite you at the same time, if one's for the males and the other's for the females."

A few students chuckled appreciatively and went back to what they were doing, while Stupid Prat walked up to me, flanked by the same two giant guys that had laughed when they got to class. Even the way he walked just seemed so cocky that all I really wanted to do was kick him where it hurt before he could get a word out.

"Gwendolyn Perry, I presume," he said, looking at me appreciatively. "You're much prettier up close than you appeared to be at the feast last night. And that's saying something." He held out his hand, "Draco Malfoy."

I shook his hand, smiling, "Ah, Stupid Prat. I've heard good things. By the way, it's Gwen; not Gwendolyn. Actually, not even Gwen for you. The only thing I want _you_ to refer to me as is the vicious bitch who's not afraid to kick your sorry ass at any given opportunity."

"Ooh, gorgeous _and_ feisty," he mused. "Tell me, what's a girl like you doing around this filth?"

"Tell me, what's filth like you doing around this girl?"

"Aw, she's not very friendly, boys," Malfoy mock-pouted at the two masses of flesh behind him. He leaned towards me, looking at me in this way that was probably supposed to be seductive, but really only made my skin crawl. "We'll have to fix that."

I felt my blood start to boil, and I could feel myself getting more and more annoyed by the second. "Are you really trying to make a pass at _me_? That's the problem with guys like you; you think you can just get anybody you want. God, I swear, if we didn't have these stupid uniforms to wear, you'd be walking around all day in a leather jacket that said 'T-Bird' on the back. Guys like you are all the same," I went on, feeling my annoyance flair up, realizing that he was like most of the guys I had dated back home. "You seem dangerous, you seem like fun, and for the first few days it's so exciting, and then you're not fun, you're _too_ dangerous, and you're just like every other guy who tries to be cool but really has no idea what he's doing." I narrowed my eyes and saw him flinch suddenly, then take a step back. I took a breath in and tried to calm down. "So, just stay away from me, and my cousin, too, okay?" I added, for good measure.

I finally let out the breath I was holding when Malfoy and his posse walked away. "Stupid prat," I said, and I heard Harry chuckle. "Do we like him?"

"Not in the least," Ron answered easily.

"Don't you mean second-cousin?" Hermione asked.

"What?"

"You told him to stay away from you and your cousin," she said. "Isn't she your second-cousin or something?"

Uh-oh. "Oh. That. Yeah. I just, you know, said 'cousin' to save time. We hardly ever call each other our second cousins. It gets a bit tedious, don't you think?"

"I guess so," she answered, and the bell rang. Ron threw his last bit of snake skin into the crate and we headed off to the castle for lunch.

"At least the skrewts are small," he said, shrugging, and that God for that, too. A new topic was perfect to get Hermione's mind off my little slip-up.

"They are _now_," she said in an exasperated sort of voice. "But once Hagrid's found out what they eat, I expect they'll be six feet long."

"Well, that won't matter if they turn out to cure seasickness or something, will it?" I said, smirking at her. Hermione smiled as well,

"You all know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up," she responded. "As a matter of fact, I think he's right. The best thing to do would be to stomp on the lot of them before they start attacking us all."

"Gasp!" I said dramatically. "Don't tell me you agree with that jerk. Guys like that are idiots who don't know anything. Trust me, I know guys like that. I've _dated_ guys like that," I added as we walked through the doors to the Great Hall.

"You've dated a guy like Malfoy?" Hermione asked, wide-eyed and shocked.

"Every teenage girl in America has dated a guy like Malfoy," I said, rolling my eyes. "Well, except Melinda. But she will."

"Ugh, Malfoy," Ron shuddered. "How'd that work out?" he asked, his face scrunched up in a disgusted sort of way.

I shrugged. "Eh. They just turn out to be moderately good kissers with no real personality to back it up. Anyway, back to the point, you shouldn't decide that you want to get rid of those things before you know about them. What if they really _do_ turn out to cure seasickness?" I added, sitting down at the Gryffindor table. "Just because they're not the most... attractive creatures doesn't mean we shouldn't care about them. The point is, there really is some truth to the whole 'don't judge a book by it's cover' spiel."

At that point Melinda came rushing into the Great Hall, ignoring the looks she was receiving. She grabbed my arm --- still running --- and practically dragged me out of my seat. "Ihavetotalktoyou," she said in one breath, pulling me out into the Entrance Hall. She didn't stop for breath until the doors closed and she saw that we were alone, but she didn't let go of me. Instead, she turned to me and locked my arms in a fierce grip and she shook me.

"What were you thinking?!"

What? "What are you talking about?"

"What do you mean, what am I talking about?" she retorted. "I felt it!"

I stared at her. "Are you... insane?"

She sighed exasperatedly and released my arms, throwing her hands in the air. "_What_ were you _thinking_?" she repeated. "You _always_ have to keep your emotions in check --- _always_, Gwen! What if someone saw?"

"Saw what?"

"Your _eyes_, genius! They went gold!"

I gasped. "What?! No they didn't!"

"Yes they did, Gwen, I could feel it when it happened."

"They're not gold now, are they?" I asked her, worried.

"No, not now," she answered, her voice a little lowered now. "It was only for a second or so that they were gold."

It was my turn to throw my hands in the air. "Then what are you freaking out for?"

"Because someone still could've seen!"

"No one said anything about it," I said. "So I was a little annoyed; that's nothing to freak out about."

Melinda sighed and shook her head, then said something that made me very glad we were the only ones in the Entrance Hall to hear it. "Gwendolyn Madison Halliwell," --I had to stop myself from gasping at the fact that she had said the 'forbidden name'-- and she repeated, "what were you _thinking_?"

***

"So, how was your break?" I asked Melinda once we were seated at the Gryffindor table with the others.

"It was fine," she answered, shrugging. "It's not like I was just sitting in the common room doing nothing. I was actually _working_," she added pointedly.

"Hey, so was I," I defended.

"Really?" Melinda asked skeptically, rolling her eyes. "What could you have possibly done in Care of Magical Creatures?"

As soon as she said the this, every fourth-year Gryffindor within earshot groaned. Ron even put his head on the table. I grinned, "Don't you know what a Blast-Ended Skrewt is, Melinda?"

"No," she admitted, looking confused. I smirked and leaned forward, telling her all about Hogwarts' new "pets".

"They looked like lobsters, sort of," Harry added a few minutes into my description.

"That's what I thought, too!" I said. "Shell-less lobsters. All gross and... uncooked," I added, just for Melinda's sake.

She made a face, "Ew."

"Exactly," I said, nodding solemnly. "And that's not all I was dealing with, either."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, there's this Stupid Prat in Slytherin," I started, and Ron muttered, "Where else would he be?"

I tried to ignore the pang I felt in my chest. The Slytherins weren't _all_ bad, were they? I mean, yeah, Malfoy was, but, the hat had considered Slytherin for me, too. Did that mean _I_ was bad?

"Anyway," I went on, "he was totally hitting on me, so I just let him know I wasn't one to be messed with." I smiled proudly, and Melinda rolled her eyes again.

While Ron and Harry were interested in telling Melinda all about how I "scared Malfoy off," Hermione was busy shoving food down her throat. She was making her way through everything so fast, I was surprised she didn't choke.

"Is this the new stand on elf rights?" Ron asked. "You're going to make yourself puke instead?"

"No," Hermione answered through a mouthful of food. "I just want to get to the library."

"Hermione, it's the first day back! We haven't got homework yet!"

Hermione merely shrugged and continued. Then she jumped up, said "See you later!" and ran out of the Great Hall.

"What does eating have to do with elves?" Melinda asked, confused.

"Hermione found out yesterday that there are house-elves at Hogwarts," Harry answered calmly. "She thinks they're not treated fairly. Last night at dinner, she refused to eat."

"So, why would eating faster change how the house-elves are treated?" I asked, and Ron shrugged.

"Who knows?" he said. "It's Hermione."

Melinda looked at her wrist watch, "I actually think I should go now, too," she said, standing.

"What?" I asked. "Why?"

"I'll explain it later," she said cryptically for the third time today, before walking calmly out of the Great Hall.

I sighed and looked at Harry and Ron. "And then there were three."

I sat there for a moment, staring at them inconspicuously while they ate. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. Charge and Charge's Best Friend. Or, of course, Cute British Twins' Little Brother. I'd have to come up with something shorter. Point is, if this whole Secret-Whitelighter thing was going to work, I'd have to get to know them better.

"How long have you guys been friends for?" I asked, picking up my soft taco. Yes, I know. I was surprised, too.

"Since our first day at Hogwarts," Ron answered. "We met on the train."

"We met Hermione that day on the train, too," Harry pointed out.

"But we didn't really like her much then," Ron said, leaning towards me. "She's a bit bossy, see," he added quietly while Harry rolled his eyes.

"So, when did you guys become friends?" I asked, curious.

"Well," Harry started, "it all started when Ron accidentally insulted Hermione after class on Halloween..."

***

When the bell rang later for the end of lunch, Harry, Ron and I stood up, them preparing to go to Divination, and me not knowing where to go at all. "Um. Where am I going?" I asked. Harry and Ron froze.

"That's right," Ron said. "Hermione's not here."

"I'm supposed to go to Ancient Runes..."

"Well, we don't know where the Ancient Runes classroom is," Harry admitted, turning in a circle, almost like he was looking around the Great Hall to find Hermione somewhere.

"Hermione was supposed to show you," Ron said, looking at the giant Oak doors where both Hermione and my cousin had disappeared. "But she's gone..."

"So..." I said, throwing my messenger bag over my shoulder and rubbing the toe of my shoes into the nice floor. "What do I do now?"

Thankfully, Hermione came running through the doors at just that moment, breathless. "Oh, Gwen, I'm so sorry," she panted out once she reached me. "I lost track of time and forgot about you!"

"Eh," I waved away the comment. "Happens all the time."

"What were you doing that was so important?" Ron asked suspiciously.

Hermione ignored him. "Where's Melinda?" she asked.

"She left about two seconds after you did," I shrugged.

"Oh, never mind her," Hermione said, grabbing my hand. "We're going to be late!"

"But, my taco---!"

***

Hermione dragged me through a maze of corridors for six full minutes before stopping in front of a large brown door. "Here it is," she said, smiling as though she hadn't just made me sprint for my life.

"Thank God," I panted, putting my hand on the doorknob for support.

"With just a few minutes to spare," Hermione added brightly.

We walked inside and sat down at the only empty table left in front. It seemed Hermione wasn't the only one who wanted to get here early.

"So, what should I know about this teacher?"

"Professor Babbling's not that bad," she said. "She actually understands what she's teaching, and she hardly ever gives homework unless it's really important. The class itself isn't that bad, either. I think it's fascinating, really. Sort of like learning another language, but you don't speak it. I do hope Melinda gets here soon," she said suddenly. "The bell's about to ring."

"Hey, guys."

_Speak of the devil. Slash-witch._

"How'd you get here?" I asked, surprised to see her sitting in the seat next to me.

"I walked?" She said it like she was questioning my sanity. I looked around her and I saw the door slowly swinging closed.

"But..." I was cut off by the bell, signaling the beginning of class.

"Good afternoon," a voice said from the front of the room. I think I jumped. Really, I don't know why I was so surprised; she was standing only a few feet in front of me. "Students, I am Professor Babbling, and I say that because I see we have two new students." She threw a small smile in my and Melinda's direction. "This year promises to be difficult for most, tolerable for some, and easy for few."

While Professor Babbling continued to go on and on about the curriculum (ironically, given her name), I decided to "examine" her, as I'd already done to Professor Sprout and Hagrid. She was black --the only black teacher I'd seen at the feast last night-- and she had her hair cut to the very close to her scalp. I could see that she had some weight to her, but had to be at least in her forties, so it didn't matter much.

"...Do you understand?"

I felt my eyes widen. I had completely let my mind wander while Professor Never-Stops-Babbling was explaining the class. "What did she say?" I whispered to Melinda.

She rolled her eyes.

***

The bell rang more than an hour later. Melinda and Hermione, stupid geniuses, were going to Arithmancy together, while I had my free training period.

"Have fun at class," I smiled at Melinda sarcastically. Melinda was standing just outside the door, waiting for Hermione to get her books together. She leaned in towards me,

"Make sure you stop by the room, okay? I know you're not gonna waste all your free time working, but at least do _something_ productive."

"I'll do my best."

"I'm all set," Hermione said, coming up behind me. "We'll see you at dinner, Gwen."

"Have fun," I said again, walking out into the hallway with them but going right instead of straight.

I walked quickly, knowing that the sooner I got up those stairs, the better. When I got to Melinda Warren's portrait I smiled brightly, "Hey, Melinda."

"Good afternoon, Gwendolyn," she said in response. I paused for a second; usually people calling me "Gwendolyn" would send me into an immediate frenzy --- not even my _dad_ called me that --- but, after a second, I figured that Melinda Warren was definitely an exception.

The portrait swung open and I made my way towards my new weekly exercise.

***

I was panting again by the time I made it to the stone door; not as much as last night, though. Probably because I knew what to expect. What I _didn't_ expect, however, was there to be a small piece of paper --parchment, whatever-- taped to the door, with only one word written on it in Melinda's handwriting.

_Nexus_.

"Nexus?" I said, just enough of an interrogative twist in my voice to make it a question. No sooner had the word left my lips when the door creaked open. I smiled. "Password. Cool."

_You thought of everything._

The first thing I noticed when I walked inside was another note on top of the fake Book of Shadows, almost like Melinda knew that's where my eyes would go first.

I strolled over to the Book and picked up the paper.

_Don't destroy anything. Come up with a password for your room, and leave mine alone; you won't be able to figure out my password. Make it something difficult, something only you would know, just in case someone gets past Melinda's portrait. Don't destroy anything._

I rolled my eyes. She put "don't destroy anything" twice. Like I'm that klutzy.

And what does she mean, come up with a password for my room? Isn't _this_ my room? And Melinda's?

I looked around, noticing that one of the two doors on the inside had Melinda's name written on it in her curly cursive handwriting. The door on the opposite side of the room was bare.

_Ahh_...

I walked up to the door, staring at it inquisitively. How do I make a password? _Something only you would know_, Melinda said. Hmm.

_Well, it has to be something I like... a band name, maybe? No, a band name's too easy... Band member?_

I smiled to myself. Now all I needed was the right band.

While my first choice would be Frank Iero, from My Chemical Romance (because he is Awesome-ness personified), I decided that that would probably be too obvious, since pretty much everyone I know well knows that I'm in love with him. I guess I'm just gonna have to go with one of my guilty pleasures, then. Now, what's a band that no one knows I listen to...

I almost smirked. Queen. Of course. Freddie Mercury. _Mercury_. Amazing. No one will ever get that.

***

I leave the room after setting my password, which didn't take nearly as long as it did to get up those damn stairs. Though, going down them is kinda fun.

I'm walking through the corridors at random now, trying to see if I remember how to get to the Gryffindor Common Room from Melinda Warren's portrait and to the Great Hall from the Common Room. It takes me a while to remember where everything is, and by the time I see those giant Oak doors, I hear my name being shouted by someone. Or maybe _two_ someones. "GWEN!"

I turned around, gasping. "Jesus, Fred, George. Scare the crap out of me why don't ya. Hey, Lee," I added to the other boy, who was shaking his head in one of those _Why-do-I-hang-out-with-these-people_ kind of ways. "What are you guys up to?"

"Jinxing the corridors before dinner," Fred answered, and George shrugged, saying,

"The usual."

I laughed. "Mind if I join you?"

***

"Merlin, Gwen, where'd you come up with _that_?" Lee asked, staring at the slime-covered walls in fascination. I grinned as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

"Let's just say there's a few spells I know that you guys haven't learned yet," I said, smiling my signature flirty-mysterious smile and turning around. "My school was a bit-- AAH!" I raised my hands to hit the creepy ninja person behind me but stopped when I realized who it was.

"Hey, Gwen," Melinda said, smiling at me. I huffed and glared at her.

"Don't _do_ that," I said reproachfully. Then added, "Creepy."

"How'd you get here so fast?" George asked, staring at Melinda. "The bell _just_ rang."

Melinda shrugged. "I walk fast. Now, c'mon," she said, grabbing my hand. "Let's go get dinner. I'm _starving_."

Melinda was pulling me toward the Entrance Hall so fast that we were already there before I realized that Fred, George and Lee were nowhere in sight. I sighed. "Aw, Melinda!"

"What?" she asked, oblivious to pretty much everything except for the large crowd in front of the Oak doors.

"You made them go away," I pouted, and she rolled her eyes.

"They're just guys, Gwen," she pointed out.

"_Cute_ guys. With awesome red hair. And sexy British accents."

"British accents are pretty hot, but still, no reason to obsess."

"Oh, Melinda," I shook my head in a disappointed manner. "So much to learn. Hey, Ron!" I shouted, seeing the twins' younger brother. _And Charge's Best Friend_, I added to myself. Melinda and I made our way toward Ron, Hermione, and Harry, though they were paying no attention to us; only to Malfoy, who was smirking, and reading something out of the _Daily Prophet_. Ron was red, and not the adorable-blushy kind.

Malfoy was clearly enjoying whatever it was that he was reading, and he just kept going on and on about Ron's dad and Mad-Eye Moody, and something about aggressive dustbins.

"And there's a picture, Weasley!" Malfoy shouted when he was done, holding the paper up. "A picture of your parents outside their house --- if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

I felt my eyes narrow, and I saw Ron shaking in anger. I had never before wished so much that I had my grandma Piper's ability to blow things up then I was now, and I was almost positive that my eyes were slowly changing color. Melinda stomped on my foot.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Harry said. "C'mon, Ron...."

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. Asshole. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"

"You know _your_ mother, Malfoy?" Harry said, as he and I both grabbed the back of Ron's robes to stop him from attacking Malfoy --- though, I must say, the idea was tempting. "That expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"

I'll be damned. Malfoy's blushing.

"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."

Harry turned away, "Keep your fat mouth shut, then."

And right then, everything seemed to slow down, and through my peripheral vision I saw Malfoy's hand digging through his robes, searching for his wand. My eyes widened.

Crap, crap, crap, crap...

There was a loud BANG, and everyone screamed. A jet of yellow light brushed past Harry's face, barely missing him, and there was a second, even louder BANG.

"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"

It was Professor Moody, limping down the stairs with his wand pointed at a white ferret on the stone floor, right where Malfoy had just been standing. I felt myself grin.

***

"Don't talk to me," Ron said as we all sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later. Hermione looked surprised.

"Why not?"

"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever," Ron replied, closing his eyes. "Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret..." We all laughed, and Hermione began covering her plate with food.

"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though," she said when she finished laughing. "It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it---"

"Hermione!" Ron opened his eyes to glare at her. "You're ruining the best moment of my life!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and started to eat even faster than she had this morning.

"Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?" Harry said.

"Got to," Hermione said through a mouthful of food, so it sounding more like, _Garhoo_. "Loads to do."

"But you told us Professor Vector---"

"It's not schoolwork." It wasn't even five minutes later when she cleared her plate and jumped up, racing toward the doors.

"You're supposed to wait at least an hour after eating before taking part in any rigorous activities!" I shouted after her, and Melinda rolled her eyes as Fred Weasley took Hermione's seat.

"Moody!" he said. "How cool is he?"

"Beyond cool," George said, sitting down.

"Supercool," Lee said, sitting next to George. "We had him this afternoon."

"What was it like?" Harry and I asked simultaneously.

"Never had a lesson like it," Fred said.

"He knows, man," Lee said.

"Knows what?" Melinda asked, leaning forward.

"Know what it's like to be out there _doing_ it," George said.

"Doing what?" Ron asked.

"Fighting that Dark Arts," Fred answered.

"He's seen it all," George added.

"'Mazing," Lee agreed.

Ron quickly looked for his schedule in his bag, found it, and pouted. "We haven't got him till Thursday!"

I sighed. "I can't wait."

***

Later that night, when the other girls were in the bathroom getting ready for bed, I pulled Melinda aside and gave her my best secret spy voice. "Now what is it that you've been avoiding telling me?"

She sighed. "You can't tell _anyone_. I'm serious here, Gwen."

I rolled my eyes. "Who am I gonna tell? Besides, it's not like I don't have another secret to keep from everybody."

Melinda nodded her head in agreement and sighed again, reaching in the neck of her robes and pulling out a thin chain, with one of the smallest hour glasses I've ever seen hanging from the center.

I stared at it, confused. "What is it?"

"It's how I've been getting to all my classes," Melinda answered, a strange sort of pride in her voice. "Gwen... this is a Time-Turner."

You thought of everything.


End file.
